IPG Health Supercharges Medical Communications Offering with the Launch of Vio

IPG Health today announced the next evolution of its industry-leading Medical Communications offering, doubling down on the interconnected power that has fuelled its explosive growth and award-winning success. This strategic evolution amplifies the network’s dominance and unparalleled value to clients in the Med Comms space.

“At IPG Health, we don’t just do Med Comms - we set the standard. With seven industry-leading specialist agencies that deliver everything from regulatory writing and publication planning to commercial medical communications and medical affairs, and everything in between – our offering is a scientific powerhouse unlike anything else in the industry,” said Dana Maiman, CEO of IPG Health. “In other networks, Med Comms is often an afterthought. For us, it’s a driving force and core to our ecosystem. And now, we’re going even further through a more deeply connected, innovative and results driven model that lets us unlock the full potential of our talent and expertise for our clients and their brands.”

Introducing Vio – a new full-service commercially focused Med Comms agency

IPG Health is launching Vio, a new full-service medical communications agency which will be co-led by network veterans Ryan Drumm, managing director and Danyan Mao, MD, PhD, group director, medical strategy, both coming from ProHealth, an IPG Health company. In Drumm’s 11+ years at IPG Health, she has played a pivotal role in connecting the Med Comms people, agencies and capabilities to service key client partners. Mao, who has spent the past 13 years at the network, grew from associate medical director to her current role leading medical teams, client workshops and advisory boards across a wide range of therapeutic areas.

“The creation of Vio is a natural next step in the continued evolution of our commercial Med Comms business and the broader network ecosystem,” said Ariel Buda-Levin, president of Medical Communications across ProHealth, AREA 23 on Hudson and Vio. “This new agency gives our clients more specialised choice in commercially-focused Med Comms. And for our people – the industry’s absolute best and brightest – Vio provides yet another opportunity to continue to grow and thrive.”

Aligning Medical Affairs & Publications capabilities under CMC Connect and Caudex

IPG Health is aligning its Medical Affairs and Publications focused agencies under the CMC Connect and Caudex brands and leadership. The realignment sees Complete HealthVizion join forces with Caudex under the Caudex brand, led by Michael Stevinson, global agency head. And CMC Affinity combines with the CMC Connect team under the CMC Connect brand, led by Guy Slatcher, PhD, managing director. While the CMC Affinity and Complete HealthVizion brands will be retired, their legacy continues through the incredible people and teams. Caudex continues to maintain full service global commercial capabilities in addition to Medical Affairs and Publications.

ProHealth continues as a robust full-service Med Comms agency under the leadership of co-managing directors Suzie Boulos and Crystal Darby, PhD. Trio is evolving to focus more exclusively on peer to peer engagements and speaker bureau expertise, supporting Med Comms and the entire IPG Health network under the leadership of Shannon Miller, managing director, client solutions. Shannon will help deepen integration of the network’s diverse capabilities through a Med Comms lens with a focus on EPICC, IPG Health’s revolutionary data and insights platform that is purpose-built for healthcare, as well as the network’s specialised offerings to bring fresh and diverse perspectives to accelerate client growth.

This evolution comes on the heels of the recent elevation of home-grown talent and experienced network leaders Ariel Buda-Levin, MS to President of Medical Communications across ProHealth, AREA 23 on Hudson and Vio, and Jason West, PharmD as managing director of AREA 23 on Hudson. These roles are further testament to IPG Health’s forward-thinking Proactive Career Management (PCM) philosophy.

In 2024, IPG Health Medical Communications achieved significant growth and won 150+ new assignments. And with a network-wide focus on culture and careers, the agencies have experienced multiple outstanding award wins, including PharmaTimes Communications Awards 'Medical Affairs Communications Team of the Year' and The Princess Royal Training Awards for its industry-leading early career training program, Fuel (Future Experts and Leaders).