Best laid plans… In 2019, NHS England published the Long Term Plan. The plan was the policy and delivery blueprint for the NHS for the decade to come. The ambition was to transform care pathways, invest in prevention, deliver improvements in care quality, revitalise the......
Anyone working in public affairs will know that after two years with little in the way of in-person activity, the corridors of power are once again buzzing. The diaries of politicians and policy makers are filling up with report launches, receptions and roundtables. Nature (as......
This week the British Medical Association (BMA) reports of a possible mass exodus of black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) doctors in the wake of a shocking survey that reveals more than half of black doctors see racism as a barrier to career progression[1]. The......
We’re proud to have been ranked number 30 in PR Week’s top 50 health comms agencies in the UK, and to be among the top 20 independent health agencies in the UK. We saw our agency grow by an incredible 200% last year. That’s because......
Roudie Shafie, Partner at OVID Health, shares her thoughts on the Government’s new 10-Year Dementia Plan: Dementia is one of the most significant healthcare challenges of our time. Almost everyone I know has been touched by the heartbreak and agony of this condition – from......
Whether you’re a public affairs expert or a novice, meeting an MP can be a valuable tool to help secure change. Our top tips will help ensure that you make the most of your meeting. Check in with the MP’s office beforehand Particularly if the......
Last Christmas Boris Johnson hinted there may come a time when a ‘national conversation’ about mandatory COVID-19 jabs might be necessary. That feels in the distant past now. But today is World Health Day and I’d contend the Prime Minister’s words foreshadowed a......
19 January 1981 John Lennon’s Imagine was number one. Ronald Regan was preparing for his inauguration as the 40th president of the USA. The first DeLoreans were rolling off the production line. And in Westminster, an adjournment debate was held on Benzidine-Based Dyes. Why should......
The world has experienced some dark moments in the past week. But for people living with a rare disease in England, there was some positive news. The Rare Diseases Action Plan, published to mark Rare Diseases Day on Monday, set out a range of actions......
OVID Health (“OVID”), a leading independent health communications agency, has announced the appointment of ex-Sanofi lead Cameron Miller as an Associate Director. Cameron will play a senior role in advising the agency’s growing patient advocacy and public affairs client roster. Prior to joining OVID, Cameron......
We’re delighted to announce that OVID Health has been shortlisted in the category “Best Healthcare/Pharma Comms Agency” at the PRWeek Healthcare and Pharma Comms Awards 2021! OVID set out to do things differently, take care of our people and deliver......
Today (13th January) we announced the appointment of two senior hires, which will enhance our PR and public affairs offer. Katie Osborne is a former BBC journalist and director of communications at a life sciences company. In her new role, which she takes up......
This year, we’ve welcomed five full-time additions to our team, spanning public affairs, communications and operations, all while growing our global associate network too. As we head into 2022, we’re still growing as we continue to reinvent healthcare communications and advise ambitious clients to tell......
Since its announcement in July, we have been awaiting the publication of the Government’s Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF) consultation with trepidation. Initially announced in 2019 in the Conservative manifesto, the Fund was a pledge to fast-track new drugs for cancer (and now a range of......
During a recent event in Brussels, policymakers, industry leaders, and regulatory experts met to discuss what’s needed to avoid falling behind in the biotechnology revolution. According to a recent report [1], the pace set by the biotechnology sector in Europe is lagging far behind that......
Big thinking comes in small packages! That’s right, OVID Health have been named Small Agency of The Year at the Communiqué Awards 2021 – the Oscars of the healthcare communications world. The awards night was a triumph, with our MD Jenny Ousbey also taking......
OVID Health (OVID), the independent specialist healthcare communications agency, today announced it has partnered with leading cancer start-up accelerator, cLAB Ventures, to help drive the translation of high-potential, fast-growth cancer innovations into commercially successful companies across the globe. As the official communications partner of......
Growing up in the city home to Life, a science village (and now vaccination centre) where scientists, clinicians, educators and business people work to promote the advancement of life sciences, meant exploring and discovering science from a young age, and a growing......
Following the success of the Patient Partnership Index 2021, OVID Health is proud to release our Insights Paper which brings together the key lessons and advice from this year’s top partnerships, as well as the expert insight of senior leaders in pharma and patient advocacy,......
PharmaTech Integrates, 23rd September 2021 In partnership with Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre Join us on the 23rd September (virtually!) at PharmaTech Integrates, where our Director Roudie Shafie will be asking Juliette White, Vice President, Global SHE and Sustainability, AstraZeneca, “What are the game changing......
Having been parachuted into one of the most important jobs in the country at one of its most challenging times, Sajid Javid has expressed his shock at learning that the peak of the backlog is expected to reach 13 million people, up from an already......
Boris Johnson had only been Mayor of London for a few months when a global crisis took hold that shaped the life of the capital and its citizens for years to come. In response to the financial crash of 2008, Boris the Mayor knew......
In the Blair era civil servants and special advisers used to call hospital chief executives on a daily basis as part of Labour’s bid to drive down waiting times. Yesterday we heard the phrase ‘bust the backlog’, and we’ll be hearing it a lot more......
Developing, approving and manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines – at scale – in a matter of months is a remarkable achievement for the industry – and for society. While COVID-19 was an unprecedented situation, it revealed what may be accomplished under......
We are delighted to reveal that OVID Health has been shortlisted for three prestigious Communique Awards in 2021. We’ve been nominated in the following categories: Excellence in Healthcare Partnerships for our work with client MedCity in setting up the London Testing Alliance; Small Agency of......
New cross-industry alliance between Astellas, bluebird bio, Bristol Myers Squibb, Kite (a Gilead company) and Novartis aims to increase awareness and understanding of cell and gene therapies in the UK. More than 150 clinical trials testing new cell and gene therapies......
With the runners and riders for Sir Simon Stevens’ replacement already widely debated, read on to discover what NHS commissioners and providers are hoping for in the imminent recruitment process. With the COVID recovery and waiting lists backlog firmly a priority for NHS top brass,......
It is just over a year to the day since Matt Hancock set out his five-point plan to ramp coronavirus tests up to 100,000 per day. Part of this involved building ‘in a short space of time, the large diagnostics industry that this country currently......
Boris Johnson last week launched his Global Britain blueprint. But there are only two successes which will truly count for him when it comes to the UK on a world stage this year: delivery of a world-leading COVID-19 vaccination programme and a successful COP26 conference.......
Many budding startups will be looking forward to the 15th annual BIO-Europe Spring conference next week. It’s expected to bring together over 2,500 top executives from global biotech, pharma and finance – a perfect opportunity to gain exposure to an international audience of potential partners......
Following our event ‘Change for good or just for now: will COVID transform UK health?’ earlier this year, we’ve continued to reflect on how the past 12 months may have shaped a new normal for our life science and biotech industry. An important component of......
On World Obesity Day, OVID Health has partnered with Sarah Le Brocq, Director of the UK Obesity Organisation, to explain why 2021 is another important year in obesity policy. The pandemic has caused significant challenges for people living with many different chronic conditions. But of......
The NHS England commercial framework for new medicines published this week has gone as far as it can. Now the politicians need to step in to bring 21st Century funding models for 21st Century medicine. Bringing new medicines into the NHS can be a complex......
The same week Facebook outlined their plans for a global vaccines misinformation campaign I was walking along my London street and something caught my eye. Drawing closer to it I noticed it was none other than a yellow anti-vax poster cable-tied to a lamppost. I......
At our recent event, ‘Change for good or just for now: will COVID transform UK health?’, OVID Senior Counsel, Professor David Salisbury, said the most fundamental changes in vaccine policy resulting from the pandemic would have to be the macroeconomic impact of the pandemic and the value that is placed on......
Last Friday, a leaked copy of the Government’s Health and Care White Paper was made available online, and promptly led to a flurry of reports about what it contained, what it didn’t and – perhaps most importantly – what it all means. For our clients,......
This week we’re thrilled to announce the appointment of Tom Doughty as Account Director. Over the past three years, Tom has managed several corporate pharmaceutical and med-tech client accounts, as well as successful coalitions with patient groups and industry partners on All Party......
This World Cancer Day, we’re pleased to announce we will be partnering with the South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA) to reduce the late presentation of lung cancer amongst hard-to-reach groups. Lung cancer disproportionately affects those from more deprived backgrounds and there is growing......
By Niall Dickson CBE, Senior Counsel at health communications agency OVID Health and former CEO of the NHS Confederation WB Yates’ aphorism ‘all changed, all changed utterly’ has been applied to the NHS before, but never has it been so apt. The service is in......
We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for best agency in the PRWeek UK Healthcare and Pharma Comms Awards! Running for the first time ever this year, OVID feels privileged to be one of only a handful of agencies to make the shortlist. Sharing......
Yesterday, the Government published the UK Vaccines Delivery Plan, their roadmap to vaccinate around 11 million people in Britain by mid-February and, as the Government hopes, also a roadmap out of lockdown cycles and out of the political heat on its handling of the......
A mere five weeks ago we celebrated the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, bringing frenzied hope about how soon life might get back to “normal” and a brighter, better 2021. Fast forward to lockdown 3.0 and it’s hard to bring back the feeling of......
Effective public health communication is essential in order to protect the public during this second wave of COVID-19, particularly as many uncertainties lie ahead about the roll-out of vaccines. But have the government been successful in striking the right balance when it comes to......
“Impressive work…” “Have clearly made significant impact in their short time since inception. Recognised a great gap in the market.” “Have demonstrated a creative and personal approach to healthcare comms…” “Excellent results in a short space for a team that values diversity, measurable campaigns and......
We won! (in case the title wasn’t a dead giveaway). In a year which has seen the importance of health communications demonstrated like never before, OVID Health was awarded New Agency of the Year at the PRmoment Awards 2020. It’s an incredible achievement for our......
Leading pharmaceutical news publication PharmaTimes Magazine has released their September issue, focused on issues of patient-centricity in pharma. To celebrate the success and valuable insights from the Patient Partnership Index 2020, this month’s PharmaTimes includes a feature piece from OVID Health’s founder and MD Jenny......
Rachel Gonzaga, a former global communications director for GSK, has been appointed Associate Director at healthcare communications agency OVID. Rachel joins OVID Health from GSK, where she led global communications for the inhaled respiratory medicines team. An experienced and well-respected pharma PR leader, she is......
Patient communities are key partners in communications and advocacy for pharmaceutical companies. But what does an impactful partnership look like? The Patient Partnership Index 2020 is the UK’s leading initiative in the field – sharing best practice and recognising the pharmaceutical industry’s work in this......
We’re delighted to announce that OVID Health has been shortlisted by PR Week Award’s 2020 as New Consultancy of the Year. This is a fantastic achievement and underlines how our mission to reinvent healthcare communications is really making waves and producing tangible, impactful results. OVID......
The results of The Patient Partnership Index 2020 are in, showcasing the UK’s pharmaceutical sector’s work in communications and advocacy with patient organisations. The Index – an initiative created and co-owned by PharmaTimes and OVID Health – showcases the very best examples of partnerships between......
The UK #LifeSciences sector has responded rapidly to #COVID19, leading the way in research, innovation and collaboration. Our new #UnleashingInnovation brochure explores the extraordinary research that has taken place in London – read the report here: https://t.co/PxHVTKctvC pic.twitter.com/uRBd1Qdijd — MedCity (@MedCityHQ) June 30, 2020 ......
It’s always fantastic to be recognised the effort we and the amazing people we work with put in. We were absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for three awards – including Best Public Affairs Campaign and Best Use of Media Relations – at the prestigious......
It’s not every day a Minister resigns because a special advisor has kept their job. Then again, Dominic Cummings is no ordinary special advisor, at least in the eyes of the Prime Minister. Our founder and MD Jenny Ousbey contributed her views to PR Week......
Today we are delighted to announce that the Patient Partnership Index 2020, in partnership with leading industry publication PharmaTimes, is open for entries. The Index is a first-of-its-kind opportunity for pharma companies to showcase, benchmark and measure the quality of their advocacy with patient groups.......
Woooop! We’ve been shortlisted in the prestigious @CIPR_Awards for: Best Public Affairs Campaign; Best Use of Media Relations and most amazingly Best New PR Consultancy of the Year. Well done also to our amazing clients working hard right now. #pr #health #awards #publicaffairs pic.twitter.com/CVkx5mdTOD —......
There are two essential ingredients to a successful public health campaign: good advice, and good communication. The Government has been going hard on trying to keep the core pillar of its health advice to families short and simple – wash your hands thoroughly, for the......
On a cold October morning last year, a Facebook post went viral around the office; it was a simple hand-held selfie video of an ecstatic and emotionally overwhelmed mum, Gemma, celebrating the deal that brought Orkambi to the NHS and to her daughter Ivy. Gemma......