C&W and Edelman land Pfizer/Altana Daxas PR

Ian Hall, PR Week UK, Friday, 01 October 2004, 12:00am,

Pfizer and Altana Pharma have confirmed the PR agency backing behind pre-launch respiratory drug Daxas, with Cohn & Wolfe appointed on a UK PR contract and Edelman selected to handle global PR for the brand.

C&W beat agencies including CPR UK and Galliard Healthcare Communications in a competitive pitch to secure its contract, which spans media relations, key opinion-leader development and publications work.

Daxas, which has the generic name roflumilast, is being co-developed by Pfizer and Altana as an oral, once-daily treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

The drug was submitted for European approval to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products in February. It is expected to launch in Europe before the end of 2005 or early in 2006.

C&W was hired following a pitch process (PRWeek, 3 September) that is understood to have seen around eight agencies submitting their credentials. C&W healthcare joint-MD Jeremy Clark leads the account team.

Edelman confirmed this week that it had scooped the global brief, with London-based international business development director Carolyn Paul leading the account.

The agency is handling media relations work, key opinion-leader development and the development of ‘template materials’ to support in-house PROs and agencies in markets in which the product will launch.

Daxas has peak sales potential reportedly in the region of one billion euros per year.

In August US-headquartered GSW Worldwide was appointed as agency of record to handle pre- and post-launch marketing for the brand in the US and other major markets.