Saudi Arabia's PR Firm on Drugs

The major industry lobby group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has retained Qorvis Communications "for a national PR campaign to educate the public about the good work done by drug companies and the important role they play in developing new medicines," reports O'Dwyer's. The government of Saudi Arabia has been Qorvis' main client. "Since being named CEO at PhRMA more than a year ago, former Louisiana Representative Billy Tauzin and his communications team, led by Ken Johnson, have been implementing an aggressive public relations campaign in an attempt to address the industry's numerous reputation challenges, from pricing to safety to whether drugs are marketed over-aggressively," writes the Holmes Report.