Bristol Myers Squibb Chooses APCO
London (February 28, 2006) – Bristol Myers Squibb has selected APCO Worldwide to provide public affairs support for the company’s portfolio of HIV drugs and the planned market entry of a new treatment for Hepatitis B. APCO’s appointment follows a competitive pitch process.
HIV Project
APCO’s brief will be to build on the Treat with Respect campaign launched last year, which calls for the right to National Health Service (NHS) treatment for all patients, irrespective of their immigration status. Under current government policy, certain categories of migrants to the UK are charged for HIV treatment.
Hepatitis B Project
The government has no national strategy for Hepatitis B, despite its severity and increasing prevalence. An estimated 180,000 people are infected with Hepatitis B in the UK – many from minority ethnic backgrounds. APCO’s task is to drive up awareness and knowledge and increase the urgency with which government health policy is addressing Hepatitis B.
“Bristol Myers Squibb is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the UK and we are delighted to be working with them on two such challenging and important projects,” said Simon Miller, managing director, APCO UK.
“APCO demonstrated a strong understanding of our priorities and challenges and came up with a set of creative and effective responses to our brief, backed up by clear strategies,” said Richard Marsh, director of external affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb. “We look forward to the successful implementation of their plans.”
About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. APCO was named 2005 European Consultancy of the Year by Public Affairs News, 2004 Public Affairs Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and 2003 International Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report. Clients include corporations, governments, industry associations and non-profit organizations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO includes among its clients six of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. Core services include corporate, investor and internal communication; crisis management; issue management; government relations; litigation communication; media relations; coalition building; opinion research; market entry; corporate social responsibility and online communication. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.
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Contact:
Simon Miller
APCO UK
+44-20-7526-3600
smiller@apcouk.com