The Anatomy of (Announcing) a Deal

Introduction

A small, ex-U.S. biotechnology company, focused on developing an orphan product for a very small disease population, was preparing to license their product to one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.  This created a significant communications challenge for the biotech, whose investors expected an complete acquisition, or a deal with a company experienced in orphan diseases.

Solution

An aggressive media outreach program was planned that included senior leadership of both the biotechnology and global pharmaceutical company.  Messages were developed to underscore the big pharmaceutical company’s new focus on building a dedicated orphan and rare diseases franchise.  This effort, which targeted top tier national business publications and industry trades, included joint interviews with leadership of both companies to deliver consistent messages.

Results

National business and trade media helped to tell the story of why this was a good deal for both companies.  Aggressive media preparation and outreach by BMC resulted in beneficial stories The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, AP and BusinessWeek and on CNBC.  This effort insured that the rationale for the deal was communicated effectively to constituency of both audiences.  In addition, the significant coverage generated by the deal helped the company received favorable and continuous share of voice in all subsequent stories pertaining to the rare disease space.