Full-service medical advertising agency StrikeForce Communications landed three new assignments from eyecare firm Alcon Labs, the agency announced, adding to work for Pfizer heritage company Wyeth, Abbott Labs, Sepracor and Pozen. The independent New York agency was launched in the summer of 2009 by Mike Rutstein, formerly of Draftfcb.
 
Novartis launched schizophrenia med Fanapt (iloperidone) in the US, the firm announced yesterday. The drug was approved last May. In October Novartis acquired US and Canadian commercialization rights to the pill from Vanda Pharmaceuticals, which retains ex-US marketing rights. A long-acting injectable (depot) formulation is being developed.
 
CRM firm Cegedim Dendrite acquired healthcare data provider SK&A Information Services for an undisclosed sum. SK&A maintains a telephone-verifiable database of contact records on over two million healthcare practitioners, including 800,000 prescribers. The database is used by biopharmaceutical companies for commercial planning and operations. Branded as SK&A, A Cegedim Company, the firm will be integrated into Cegedim Dendrite’s OneKey business unit and will continue to be led by Dave Escalante, SK&A president and CEO.