Onyx Health has been appointed by Newcells Biotech, a group that provides cell-based assays using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) to the global drug and chemical pre-clinical market.
The marketing communications agency will strengthen Newcells’ position in the drug discovery outsourcing market.
Dr Mike Nicholds, chief executive officer at Newcells Biotech, said: “A new drug can take on average over ten years from initial discovery stage to licensing approval with each approved drug costing well in excess of £1bn to develop.
“At Newcells Biotech, our expertise and technology are at the forefront of the sector, and we are confident Onyx Health has the experience to further expand our business in global markets.”
Meanwhile, HeartScan, an echocardiography and sports screening company, has appointed Onyx health to deliver a customer insights strategy.
Dr Antionette Kenny, director at HeartScan, said: “Onyx Health has extensive experience in health screening and access to many of the stakeholders we need to work with.
“They will play an important role to guide and help us grow our business.”
Onyx Health’s clients are based in life science, pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostic and consumer health sectors, most of which want to enter global and UK markets.
Karen Winterhalter, health director at Onyx, said: “For some time, Onyx Health has been the agency of choice for healthcare innovators in the North-East, with Newcells Biotech and HeartScan as two perfect examples of this.”