Tonic Life Communications wins global Cardiorentis brief

Switzerland-based Cardiorentis, which was founded in 2010 to focus on treatments for cardiovascular diseases, has called in Tonic Life Communications for the global brief.

The agency will provide PR and medical comms support to the brand, which currently has no dedicated in-house comms team.

Tonic’s mandate also stretches to medical congress support, data dissemination and corporate profiling.

A particular focus will be on Cardiorentis’ flagship drug Ularitide, which is entering into phase 3 of a clinical trial for treatment of acute heart failure. The company may also investigate use of the drug for treatment of long-term heart conditions.

Cardiorentis is headed by Merck Serono’s former CEO Elmar Schnee and claims to be one of the first start-up companies to invest in a phase 3 clinical trial programme – a process usually carried out by larger pharma companies.

Associate director Helen Swift will lead the retained account, which runs from now until the end of 2013, reporting directly to Schnee.

Heart failure affects at least one in 100 people in the UK and is responsible for one in 20 admissions to hospital, while 30–40 per cent of patients diagnosed with heart failure die within a year.

Tonic CEO Scott Clark said: ‘Cardiorentis has a refreshing new approach to drug development which it combines with entrepreneurial spirit, something that reflects Tonic’s own values.’

This article was first published on prweek.com