LONDON: Abbott Laboratories has ditched Weber Shandwick and brought in Luther Pendragon for a lucrative external affairs account for one of its most profitable drugs.

The agency has bagged the public affairs and PR account for Humira, an anti-inflammatory treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

The brief is thought to be worth upwards of $480,000 (£300,000) a year and had been with Weber for six years. Other agencies that pitched are believed to be Just Health and Hanover.

Weber won the business in 2006 from ...