PARIS: Publicis Groupe has purchased U-Link Business Solutions, a Chinese agency specializing in healthcare communications.
Fifteen-year-old U-Link has approximately 170 staff members in its Shanghai headquarters and Beijing offices. Its clients include Abbott, GenSci Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis.
U-Link co-founder and CEO Frank Xu will become MD, reporting to Ash Kuchel, president of Publicis Healthcare Communications Group's Asia-Pacific region. The deal brings Publicis Healthcare Communications' total staff to 220 employees in the region.