AXON

Ranking in Top 150:

73

Healthcare fee income 2009:

£2.68M. Revenue dropped slightly in 2009 due to a slow start relating to the economic downturn we all were facing. But our strong relationships with existing clients and some exciting new business wins meant that our second half was one of the strongest in our history!

Total fee income 2009:

£2,684M

Total staff 2009:

25

Who is in the hotseat?

Ralph Sutton, Miranda Dini.

Sum up your agency’s 2009 in four words:

Tough start, great end.

Three best healthcare client or campaign wins:

Supporting a client in launching their first-ever product, supporting a range of activities for the European Medical Affairs team for one of our device clients, and our initial global oncology win for one of the industry leaders in oncology

Healthcare highlights of 2009:

We are proud of the solutions we brought to our clients to help them navigate a challenging period, and of our creative and motivated staff. In particular, we are deeply proud of changes we have helped bring about in the approach to pain management in the UK and in the way certain types of haemophilia can now be managed.

Significant hires in the healthcare team in 2009:

Miranda Dini joined as Operations Director, Dr. David Collison and Dr. Katrina de Saram as Programme Directors/Senior Medical Writers, and Claire Martin as a Programme Director.

Staffing overall 2009:

25

Plans and predictions for healthcare PR in 2010:

The pharmaceutical industry continues to face numerous challenges including patent losses, consolidated pipelines, delayed approvals and barriers in market access, navigating new markets, and budgetary restrictions, among others. As a result, there is an unmistakeable need for clear-thinking, creativity and strategic communications planning to help arm clients with the ideas and roadmaps they need for success. We believe there will be a continued drive toward integrated communications solutions, which AXON is primed to address, given our integrated PR/medical communications/clinical research consulting offering.

Any new ways of working?

There are three trends we see as being important. First, we are definitely seeing far more interest in exploring digital communications – virtually all of our campaigns now include a digital component. Second, we are becoming much more closely integrated with other disciplines to achieve successful market access-in both established and emerging markets. Finally, for our international clients, we are seeing much greater emphasis being placed on supporting their affiliates in the major emerging markets and not just in the traditional large developed countries.

Healthcare business or brand to watch in 2010 and why:

Highly targeted therapies that deliver on the promise of personalised medicine, particularly in cancer.

How have your clients adapted to using social media:

The pharmaceutical and device sectors are progressively open to exploring possible communications opportunities available in the digital space. As a result, we are increasingly able to leverage our significant experience in this area to build and execute strategic programmes that help our clients engage in conversations with their customers, employees and other key stakeholders.

How are the public spending cuts going to affect the healthcare communications landscape:

While governments are claiming that front-line health services will not be cut, the reality is that health budgets inevitably will come under pressure. In the UK, we see changes in the structure of the way healthcare is commissioned, and challenges in recruiting healthcare professionals. Elsewhere, governments are seeking to cut prices. However, these challenges mean that effective communication has never been more important, particularly when convincing stakeholders of the value a treatment or procedure provides.

One thing you won’t know about the agency:

We’ve just finished refurbishing our offices in Richmond. It’s beautiful here by the river-particularly in the summer-so come visit!