CommonHealth Launches New Professional Agency.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- CommonHealth today announced the formation of Altum, a freestanding full-service professional healthcare advertising and promotion company differentiated by a specialized creative and scientific approach designed to generate the most motivating rational and emotional communications for healthcare brands.

CommonHealth (www.commonhealth.com) is the world's leading healthcare-communications network and a WPP Group (NASDAQ/ADR: WPPGY; www.wpp.com) company.

Established to respond to marketplace demand for greater focus, flexibility and accountability, Altum was created with the concept of "depth" as part of its unique approach. The agency principals plan to integrate the art of communication with a deep-rooted understanding of science and biotechnology to create long-term strategic brand vision and high-impact, high-return promotion in partnership with their clients.

Altum, located in Parsippany, is the thirteenth business unit of CommonHealth and the organization's fifth professional advertising and promotion agency. The group was formed around a core team of professionals from Ferguson, CommonHealth's founding professional advertising and promotion unit. Michael Parisi will oversee the day-to-day operations of the new venture as executive vice president, general manager. The new organization will report to David Chapman, president of Ferguson.

"It's great to see such hardworking, dedicated and creative people get their chance to grow and manage an agency of their own. Giving some of our best and brightest the opportunity to focus on the brands and categories they feel most passionate about has been a key factor in the success of our other 'home-grown' companies," said Mr. Chapman.

"I look forward to working with the talented team at Altum to establish our agency as a trusted partner in professional marketing," said Michael Parisi.

He continued, "Our 360-degree approach to promotion is based on total marketplace immersion to identify the 'strike points' for all stakeholders to create in-depth, medically sound communication to drive brands. This unique process, coupled with the drive and passion of our team, makes Altum's services unlike any other currently available in the industry."

Altum is the seventh CommonHealth company to organically spin off from the organization's Ferguson agency. The other units are Adient and Noesis, both professional advertising and promotion agencies; Conectics, a media planning services group; ProCom, a medical education company; Quantum, the organization's consumer advertising and promotion unit; and Xchange, its relationship marketing group.

CommonHealth comprises Altum, Ferguson, Adient, Noesis, Conectics, ProCom, Quantum, Xchange, Carbon, HLS, MBS/Vox, Qi and Solara. The organization also maintains numerous partnerships both within and outside of the WPP Group network of companies.