Ogilvy Healthworld to merge with CommonHealth

Ogilvy Healthworld is to be combined with fellow media agency CommonHealth in a move which will create the largest healthcare communications network in the world.

WPP, the advertising and marketing group which owns both companies, has chosen to merge the firms in order to deliver a full range of services to clients, including advertising, public relations, medical education and clinical trial recruitment.

The combined company, named Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide, will employ more than 1,100 members of staff in 64 offices spread across 33 nations.

Matt Giegerich, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CommonHealth, will become the new company’s chairman and CEO, describing the new arrangement as a “perfect union”.

He said: “We can now offer clients all the communications resources necessary to create and grow powerful, unified global brands in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.”

Earlier this month, PRWeek reported that Ogilvy Healthworld Digital and OgilvyHealthPR won a contract with Boehringer Ingelheim, which will them launch a communications programme for the blood clotting treatment Pradaxa.