The PR element of the contract – which covers Lantus and Apidra, both treatments for diabetes, and Lovenox, a blood-thinner – will be handled by Euro RSCG Life NRP. The assignment covers 60 countries.
Although terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, the win places Sanofi-Aventis among the top five clients for Havas, the global advertising and comms services group that is Euro RSCG’s holding company.
Blockbuster Lovenox in particular has been a major revenue driver for the drugs giant, according to its latest earnings report.
Euro RSCG Life chief executive Ron Pantello said in a statement that the agency would focus on crafting a ‘unified, consistent’ message.
Sanofi-Aventis – formed from the merger of Sanofi-Synthelabo and Aventis earlier this year – unveiled the latest appointments to its global communications operation last month, with Charles Rouse at the helm in the US (PRWeek, 15 October).
Michel Joly has become vice-president of product PR, reporting to senior V-P of comms Nicole Cranois, who heads the France-headquartered pharma giant’s global comms function.
In other countries, Aventis’s Xavier Legrand du Laurens has become vice-president of comms for France, and Sanofi’s Miriam Henn is now vice-president of comms for Germany.