Merger & Acquisition

Private-equity funds dominate marcomms M&A
April 20, 2018Nearly a quarter (22%) of all marcomms M&A deals involved private-equity funds — double the 11% seen in the last two quarters of 2017.

Agency M&As up 126% globally, with U.S. leading the way
April 11, 2018U.S. deals through the end of March increased 366% compared with last year.

Dohmen Life Science acquired by Water Street Healthcare, JLL Partners
February 21, 2018Dohmen will continue to operate under its brand and retain its leadership team.

New entrants shake up agency M&A market as ad groups are 'distracted' by restructuring
February 06, 2018The agency M&A market is changing as the big ad groups have been "distracted" by internal restructuring and new acquirers are emerging.

Stagwell's Penn says digital marketing agencies are 'undervalued' as he eyes more M&A
January 11, 2018The founder of Stagwell has claimed digital marketing agencies are undervalued because investors still fail to appreciate how much digital communications and e-commerce are going to transform the economy.

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Tuesday, January 9, 2018
January 09, 2018Shire considers splitting into two units; New Jersey finalizes physician-pharma gift limit; more biotech M&As expected in 2018

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Friday, January 5, 2018
January 05, 2018Takeda announces deals worth more than $1 billion; biotech and pharma investments reached $10.5 billion in 2017; prescriptions for nerve pain on the rise

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Monday, December 18, 2017
December 18, 2017CVS/Aetna deal will affect healthcare benefits; lawmakers pressure DEA to curb painkiller supply; Allergan and Richter's Vraylar sees positive results for bipolar depression

CVS/Aetna Moves Healthcare M&A Beyond Cost and into Disruption
December 07, 2017This time around the M&A moves will be much bigger in scope, promising to reconfigure the complex and fragile healthcare payer/provider/patient ecosystem.

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Thursday, December 7, 2017
December 07, 2017UnitedHealth Group to buy DaVita primary care unit for $4.9 billion; Roche drug combo doubles lung-cancer survival in trial; study: FDA programs expedite drug approval

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Thursday, July 27, 2017
July 27, 2017Generic drugmakers reportedly seeking deals; GSK to refocus R&D; Merck and AstraZeneca to test combo cancer drug

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Thursday, July 20, 2017
July 20, 2017About 4.4 billion prescriptions filled in the U.S. in 2016; Sanofi and Ablynx reach I-O deal; biotech M&A slows in H1

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Thursday, June 29, 2017
June 29, 2017Walgreens ends merger with Rite Aid; Biogen hires former Novartis exec as SVP of corporate affairs; FDA takes new measures to drive drug pricing competition

Some brands thought to shift online ad dollars, creating uncertainty for WebMD
April 16, 2017This and other changes in the market have created demand for new offerings, like mobile-friendly sites, video, and patient communities.

WebMD considers sale or merger
February 17, 2017Drugmakers are becoming much more cautious with their budgets, WebMD executives said.

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Wednesday, February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017Pharma execs raise concerns about Trump's plans for the FDA; Merck ends study of experimental Alzheimer's drug; Amgen seeks new indication for Blincyto

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Wednesday, August 3, 2016
August 03, 2016Merck and Allergan reportedly vying to buy Biogen; drugmakers fight California measure capping drug prices; few seniors use the web to look for health info

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Thursday, April 7, 2016
April 07, 2016Pfizer considers its options, post-Allergan deal; Allergan CEO says Treasury's rule-change was 'un-American;' IBM partners with Pfizer to study Parkinson's

WPP acquires CMI, retains minority stake in Compas
March 29, 2016WPP's acquisition of CMI, a significant player in the healthcare media-planning space, will likely bolster the services it provides to pharma clients.

Sudler & Hennessey acquires West Coast digital marketing firm
March 25, 2016Viscira, a digital marketing agency, works with GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Genentech, among other life-sciences companies.

Is This the End of Agency Diversification?
February 01, 2016DTC and OTC/wellness can borrow from mainstream consumer shops. Professional marketing may pose a tougher sell.

Five things for pharma marketers to know: Wednesday, October 14, 2015
October 14, 2015J&J should pursue tuck-in deals; Lilly offers online college course about drug development; Clinton and Sanders identify drugmakers as political enemies