NEW HEALTHCARERELATED PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND COMPANIES
Medical Simulation Corp (MSC) has introduced the SimSuite Collegiate Sales Force Training Program to help organizations provide their salesforces with the clinical competence and cred ibility needed to engage physicians beyond the sales script. The program includes freshman, senior and masterslevel training cours es featuring an instructional curriculum, procedural simulation training,and inter active clinical experience, all of which can be customized to meet the training needs of organizations. The courses are delivered by MSC clinical specialists with backgrounds that include cardiology, interventional radiology, intensive care, and postanesthesia care. As a capstone to the program, participants will spend oneonone time with a thoughtleading physician in the clinical area of study. “SimSuite accelerates salesforce training to help organizations bemorecompetitive in today’s market,” says Bill Younkes, MSC president and CEO. “Our program gives organizations an added competitive edge by allowing sales representatives to gain a more solid footing in the clinical setting through a comprehen sive immersion in a virtual clinical environment.” Healthcare brand development experts Camille DeSantis and Maria Casini have launched Guard Dog Brand Devel opment LLC (GDBD), a brand development company focusing exclusively on the healthcare sector, including biopharma/biotech companies, health systems/hospi tals, pharmaceutical companies, and their products and innovations. GDBD blends strategy, design, and long term commitment to make all communications chan nels consistent,cohesive,and relevant,thus ensuring the relationship between their clients’ key stakeholders and their clients’ brands are loyal and sustainable. GDBD, an independent agency, has adopted a silo busting approach to brand identity. By maintaining com plete brand objectivity, GDBD efficiently and effectively cre ates brand identities, positioning, and message platforms that resonate across every communication channel, thereby increas ing the value of the client’s medical education, public relations, and advertising efforts.This is critical because being offmessage to a stakeholder group can be seriously detrimental to a brand. “With today’s key stakeholder audiences of a brand being numerous anddiverse, it is imperative for our clients’ identities and core messages to be relevant, consistent and cohesive across all disciplines,”says Camille DeSantis, copresident and managing partner, brand strategy and client service at GDBD. GDBD’s services include strategic brand positioning, message platform development,brand brief develop ment, which becomes the platform, strategic brand design of the look and feel and key elements such as the brandmark,or logo, visual system guidelines, implementation,monitoring,and ongoing strategic guidance. “Many people may not fully understand the distinction between brand development and branding,” says Maria Casini, copresident and managing partner, strategic brand design at GDBD. “Brand development is the creation of a brand strategy and identity, both verbal and visual, and branding is the application of that brand Brand identities, whether corporate, product, or science, need to resonate and balance both the functional and emotional assets of the brand, says Camille DeSantis, Copresident and Managing Partner, Brand Strategy and Client Service at GDBD. Brand development is the creation of a brand strategy and identity, both verbal and visual, and branding is the application of that brand identity across various mediums, says Maria Casini, Copresident and Managing Partner, Strategic Brand Design at GDBD. Sales representatives can gain a more solid footing in the clinical setting through a comprehensive immersion in a virtual clinical environment, says Bill Younkes, President and CEO of MSC. M2D, a NEW COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, Focuses on Brands,Meetings,Events Marketing and Meeting Details (M2D) is a newly launched marketing and com munications company specializing in brand management consult ing and meeting and event planning for the lifesciences industry. The company’s two founders have exten sive experience in the pharma, biotech, and medicaldevice sectors on both the agency and client sides. Chris tine Lawton, executive director, meetings and conventions, has planned and executed hundreds of meetings, conventions, and events worldwide for companies and agencies in the lifesciences field. “When our clients retain M2D counsel, they are not looking to pay for `on the job’ training; they require specialized expertise in key areas,” Ms.Lawton says. Timothy Roe, exec utive director, commer cial operations, has extensive brand experi ence as a former prod uct manager. “Vendors should always add more detailed and proactive thought to their work, even after the honey moon period ends,” Mr. Roe says. M2D has formed partnerships with BrightPipe to capture and analyze participation data at major exhibitions and conven tions and The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning to ensure the educational programming provided by M2D is nonpromotional. Medical Simulation Provides CUSTOMIZED SALESFORCE TRAINING Guard Dog Brand Development OPENS ITS DOORS IN NEW YORK Brand development company focuses exclusively on the healthcare sector. Christine Lawton, Executive Director, Meetings and Conventions, and majority owner of M2D, is responsible for the company’s daytoday operations, as well as developing its strategic direction. Timothy Roe, Executive Director, Commercial Operations, and minority owner of M2D, is a veteran sales and marketing professional with experience managing such brands as Celebrex, Cipro, and Clarinex. ADVANCED HEALTH MEDIA (AHM) has acquired the privately held Embryon Group Companies. As part of the Embryon Group acquisition, AHM has relocated its headquarters to Bridgewater, N.J., from Union, N.J., and reorganized into several specialized operating divisions. The AHM Solutions and Cen teon Solutions divisions focus on speaker bureau and promotional event man agement. The InsiteResearch division provides market research services and client relationship management solutions for marketers. The Embryon division offers medical communications services, including strategic and publication planning,medical writing and clinical content development,event management, and scientific and educational communication. For more information, visit ahmdirect.com. German hemotology and immunology specialty products company, BIOTEST AG, has purchased Nabi Biopharmaceuticals’ biologics businessunit for $185 million in cash and has renamed the subsidiary Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corp.The acquisition includes the Nabi Biologics product pipeline, its headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., a plasma protein production plant, and nine FDA and Europeancer tified plasma collection centers across the United States, as well as certain assets in Nabi’s corporate shared services group. For more information, visit biotest.com. Multimedia agency network, DAZGLOBAL LLC,Hackensack,N.J.,has acquired Liberty Communications Network. Liberty produces Medical Crossfire, CaseMed,and Pod Pearls branded interactive learning formats. For more information, visit dazmedia.com. # # # # DECISION RESOURCES INC.,Waltham, Mass., which pro vides market research and advisory services on significant drug markets,has acquiredWood Mackenzie’s lifesciences business. For more information, visit decisionresources.com. GLAXOSMITHKLINE, London, has bought privately held Reliant Pharma ceuticals Inc., Liberty Corner, N.J., for an estimated $1.65 billion in cash, adding to its roster of cardiovascular products marketed in the United States. Reliant’s portfolio includes Lovaza, a drug indicated as an adjunct to diet in adults with very high levels of triglycerides, the hypertension therapies DynaCirc CR and InnoPran XL, as well as Rythmol SR, which treats arrhythmia. For more information, visit gsk.com. IMSHEALTH,Norwalk,Conn.,hasacquiredMIHSHoldings Inc.,enhancing its managedmarket services for pharmaceutical clients and expanding its value added capabilities for healthcare payers. MIHS’s two subsidiaries, IHS and MedInitiatives,provide the healthcare marketwithanalytics and technology ser vices to streamline and enhance healthcare datamanagement initiatives. For more information, visit imshealth.com. PFIZER,New York, has agreed to purchase Wellesley, Mass.based biophar maceuticals maker, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, for an estimated $164 mil lion in cash,a move that expands its vaccines portfolio andbroadens its research scope in oncology and infectious disease,among other key areas.Coley special izes in vaccine adjuvant technology and immunomodulators. For more information, visit pfizer.com. M&AACTIVITY CISCRP, a nonprofit organization providing public outreach and education on clinical research, has released The Gift of Participation, a guide to help patients and the public evaluate the risks and benefits of participating in clinical trials.The book takes an indepth look at how clinical research is conducted and the role that participation plays in producing newmedical therapies,and it offers detailed information to assist patients in deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial. All proceeds from the book’s sale are donated to CISCRP. For more information, visit ciscrp.org. THECMR 2007 INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALR&D FACTBOOK, # # published by the Centre for Medicines Research Interna tional Ltd.,aThomson business,offers a comprehensive and uptodate overview of emerging trends in worldwide pharmaceutical R&D. The R&D Factbook incorporates data exclusively from primary sources, including all major pharmaceutical companies. It enables users to implement more accurate performance targets and predictive modeling, measure perfor mance against competitors, and make informed decisions that can reduce development times and improve efficiency. For more information, visit thomson.com. WHAT’S NEWONTHE SHELVES Follow up GUARDDOG BRANDDEVELOPMENT (GDBD),NewYork, is a brand development agency specializing in healthcare. For more information, visit guarddogbd.com. MARKETING ANDMEETING DETAILS (M2D),North Branford, Conn., specializes in brandmanagement consulting and the planning and execution of educational meetings, special events, and conventions for the lifesciences industry. For more information, visit m2details.com. MEDICAL SIMULATION CORP.,Denver, provides fullservice training and education services for sales professionals in the healthcare industry. For more information, visit medsimulation.com. # # # 0208issue FINAL 1/18/08 5:36 PM Page 57