• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, February 22, 2013

Publicis Groupe’s Spark has won media planning and buying duties for drug marketer AbbVie after a review, sources said.
 
The company is a recent spinoff of Abbott Laboratories and is based in North Chicago, Ill. Its revenues are estimated at $18 billion. Post-split, which occurred at the beginning of the year, AbbVie will market brand-name pharmaceuticals, while Abbott Laboratories will focus on medical devices and diagnostics.
 
According to Nielsen, ad spending on the drug brands that are now part of AbbVie totaled nearly $310 million in 2012, up from about $200 million in 2011.  
 
Contenders in the review included WPP’s Mindshare, the incumbent, and Omnicom’s PHD. Mindshare retains media duties on the post-split Abbott, which was not part of the review.
 
Spark declined to comment on the win. Mindshare also declined comment, referring questions to the client. PHD and AbbVie officials could not be immediately reached.
 
Drugs marketed by AbbVie include Humira, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis; prostate cancer drug Lupron and testosterone replacement AndroGel.