The latest healthcare and pharma PR news, opinion and features.
MHRA comms to become more proactive
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to focus on proactive communication as part of its wider purpose of enabling access to innovative, safe and effective medical products.
.jpg)
News & analysis
Global healthcare comms agency Amiculum opens more UK offices
Amiculum, the global healthcare comms agency headquartered in Bollington, Cheshire, has opened two new offices in the UK amid rising revenue.
Ovid Health makes senior hires
Ovid Health has announced the appointments of David Talbot as a director and head of public affairs, and Rachael Stewart as an associate director and deputy head of patient partnerships.
Cannes Day 5: BCW, Weber Shandwick pick up Bronze Lions
BCW won for Brady’s War Stories campaign, while Weber Shandwick was recognized for Iberdrola’s Turnstile Turbines in another category.
Agency rivals urge their creatives to pitch for Working With Cancer ad contest
Edelman, IPG, Omnicom and WPP join Publicis to launch “The Big C” competition with $100m brief.
-2.jpg)
Boldt makes senior hire to lead healthcare expansion
Conor Griffin, former international policy communications lead at Bristol Myers Squibb, has been appointed as a partner at the London office of European comms and public affairs agency Boldt Partners.
Edelman Trust Barometer: Misinformation taking toll on Britons’ health
Half of people (51 per cent) in the UK complain that misinformation spread on social media or other platforms is having a negative impact on their wellbeing.
Review calls for campaign to boost clinical trials
An independent review of commercial clinical trials in the UK, by former Portland advisor Lord James O’Shaughnessy, is calling for a national campaign to promote the value and importance of pharma-funded research.
Pharma’s reputation ‘on the wane’
Less than half of patient groups in the UK describe the corporate reputation of the pharma industry as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, according to a new report.
Gilead Sciences hires agency for creative campaign
Independent creative comms agency Cow has been appointed as the public affairs creative agency for biopharma company Gilead Sciences in the UK.
Syneos Health gets scooped up by private equity firms for $7.1 billion
The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of the year, subject to approval of Syneos Health shareholders as well as other customary closing conditions.
Opinion & features
PRWeek UK Power Book 2023: Top 10 in Health & pharma comms (agency)
The InformationPRWeek’s UK Power Book reveals the PR pros who lead the way in their respective sectors. Today, we rank the key agency players in health and pharma comms.
Hot off the press: PRWeek’s 22 most-read articles of 2022
The InformationFrom the diary of a Cannes virgin and the newest agencies to watch to the Top 150 consultancies and the biggest people moves of the year.
‘Think of people outside the target audience’ – Behind the Campaign, #LastLonelyMenopause
Charlotte Wood, associate director at Ketchum, discusses the recent campaign for Tena, the incontinence products brand.
Why comms is a vital part of the NHS
Far from being a drain on resources, as the likes of the TaxPayers’ Alliance claim, comms plays a vitally important role in many areas of the NHS.
Psychedelics for mental health – an important but perilous comms challenge
We have seen positive strides made on tackling stigma, awareness and, to a degree, tangible action on mental health. But, of course, in parallel has been an unprecedented increase in demand for mental health services.
Women's healthcare needs a hard comms reset
When Dame Lesley Regan was named England’s first women’s health ambassador with the aim of closing the gender health gap, it was a not-so-tacit acknowledgement that women’s health outcomes are worse than men’s.
Time to humanise scientific research
Two-and-a-half years ago, everyone experienced lockdown, a dimension of suspended life.
'The industry must unite to address the talent gap' - Healthcare Comms Q&A
PRWeek hears from senior healthcare comms professionals about their careers so far, the sector's biggest challenges, legislation, and more. Today we speak to Raman Sehgal, founder and global president of Ramarketing.
'COVID-19 changed everything' - Healthcare Comms Q&A, Julia Bainbridge, Freuds
In a new series, PRWeek hears from senior healthcare comms professionals about their careers so far, their favourite campaigns, the sector's biggest challenges, and more. Today we speak to Julia Bainbridge, partner and co-founder of Freuds+.
PRWeek UK Power Book 2022: Top 10 in healthcare and pharma (in-house)
The InformationPRWeek's UK Power Book reveals the PR pros who lead the way in their respective sectors. Today, we rank the key in-house players in healthcare and pharma comms.
-
Deputy Director, Head of News
Cabinet Office, London
-
External Affairs Manager
VMA Group, London (Central), London (Greater)
-
PR Specialist
VMA Group, London (Central), London (Greater)
-
External Affairs Manager
The Oil and Gas Authority, Aberdeen Hybrid
-
Head of News & Communication
Merseyside Police, Liverpool, Merseyside
Healthcare people moves
-
NHS comms chief leaving to join TikTok
-
BCW names first European head of health public affairs
-
AstraZeneca poaches MHP head of health
-
WHO names external relations chief
-
Makara Health bought by US pharma specialist
-
ABPI appoints new comms chief
-
Royal Philips appoints Leslie McGibbon to new global comms role
-
Havas SO wins account to support women’s health in Africa
-
Conflict of interest claimed over COVID-19 inquiry comms
-
Pfizer puts agency partners on notice with wide-ranging review that includes PR