"We believe much of the life sciences industry has been underserved in terms of quality and breadth of service available," said Helen Ostrowski, CEO, >Porter Novelli.
Porter Novelli, already well-established in pharmaceuticals and social marketing, will now offer investor and media relations, product launches, interactive and Web services, reputation management, employee communications and corporate advertising services to the biotech and life sciences industries.
The new unit, called >Porter Novelli Life Sciences, will also take on the life sciences team of Porter Novelli subsidiary, FischerHealth and will be supported by Porter Novelli's full range of global resources. Porter Novelli Life Sciences will have offices in San Diego and New York.
"Merging well-established life sciences experience with international health care resources gives Porter Novelli Life Sciences the ability to tackle an expansive, diverse range of client assignments, from biotech start-ups to major commercial ventures," said Ostrowski.
Now operating under the Porter Novelli Life Sciences name, >Atkins + Associates will retain all of its management team and staff, as well as its commitment to servicing only the life sciences sector, said the company.
"Our clients are growing, and we are now able to offer an even broader array of national and international services to help them succeed in the very competitive arena of life sciences," said Susan Atkins, founder of Atkins + Associates.