The Top 60: Carbon

CommonHealth’s decision to dissolve its professional agency Adient and divide the business between Carbon and Noesis lead to dramatic expansion in 2007, says Darlene Dobry, president. As a result of the merger, Carbon received Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals and Duramed Pharmaceuticals.

Dobry says Ortho-McNeil’s Levaquin account was “a lot to take,” in the context of an already growing agency. Joe Maynard, who was attached to Ortho-McNeil at Adient, was taken on as a EVP, managing director. Other “key personnel” also joined Carbon’s ranks.

Carbon was responsible for several new launches in 2007, including Ortho-McNeil’s Doribax, an anti-infective indicated for complicated intra-abdominal infections and urinary tract infections. The focus on brand launches will continue through 2008 and 2009, says Dobry. “We grew by 50% in 2007. That can partially be attributed to [Adient business], but it also came from new client wins,” she says.

Carbon specializes in anti-infectives, cardiology, women’s healthcare and OTC accounts, such as GlaxoSmithKline’s weight loss drug Alli. “I’d love to see Carbon expand into [CNS] and diabetes, and other areas where there are unmet needs,” she says.

Dobry credits the CommonHealth network with opportunities to succeed across a diverse climate. “The idea is to create one voice across all media channels.…Many channels and vehicles are required in a launch —it’s a multidisciplinary effort,” she says.

In the future, Carbon is “looking to expand across new therapeutic categories, as well as expanding interactive.”