inVentiv Health acquires French advertising group

InVentiv Health is to acquire Star Terre Santé, a leading group of healthcare marketing and communications agencies based in Paris.

The French agency will become part of inVentiv Communications Global and will provide advertising and promotional services to inVentiv Communications' clients in France and Benelux.

The companies have collaborated since 2009 to provide marketing and advertising needs of pharma clients in France, the third-largest pharmaceutical market in the world.

Star Terre Santé comprises seven healthcare-focused communications disciplines, including Terre Neuve, a leading ad agency with clients such as Guerbet, Merck Serono, Lilly and Johnson & Johnson. 

"Star Terre Santé has built an exceptionally strong reputation for delivering successful communications and marketing solutions to healthcare clients in France and Benelux," said Phil Deschamps, chief global officer of inVentiv Communications.

“We are thrilled to formalise our relationship with them and we look forward to continuing to work together to serve our growing base of clients that are marketing products in Europe."

"As we considered the opportunity to expand our business, we wanted to partner with a communications network that brought deep experience and a broad range of resources," said Stéphane Laford, president of Star Terre Santé. "inVentiv's unique focus in healthcare and their breadth of service offerings for pharmaceutical and biotech clients makes them an ideal partner for us."

The inVentiv Communications Global Alliance is a network of healthcare advertising agencies representing all of the major pharmaceutical markets around the world since 2001. 

The addition of Star Terre Santé means inVentiv now has marketing operations in 16 major worldwide markets. In addition, Chandler Chicco Companies, also part of inVentiv Communications, has a global network of public relations and communications agencies across 37 global markets.

The transaction will make Star Terre Santé a wholly owned subsidiary of inVentiv. Financial terms were not disclosed.