Omnicom’s DAS acquires Japanese medical communications agency

MCI was founded in 2007 and provides market research and CRM services to clients in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. It was formerly owned by trading company Itochu, which will remain a shareholder. It is headed by Takenobu Senda, a co-founder.

According to DAS president and CEO Dale Adams, the acquisition is “an important step in achieving Omnicom’s strategy to expand and deepen our presence in key growth disciplines”.

Adams noted Japan’s importance as the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market and pointed to MCI’s CRM and research capabilities as an asset in capitalising on “the fastest growing segment of the marketing communications sector” as clients in the pharmaceutical increase investment in online platforms.

DAS Healthcare’s president in Asia, David Stark, said MCI had the potential to expand to other markets, particularly in Asia. Senda said he was keen to extend services to help clients in China, India and Southeast Asia, as well as Europe and the US.

In Japan, MCI is known for its ‘Kizuna’ email marketing services, which support medical representatives in communicating with physicians.