1798, A Fingerpaint Company: 2021
1798
A Fingerpaint Company
888 Prospect St., Suite 105
La Jolla, CA 92037
Telephone
855-777-1798
Website
1798access.com
QUICK FACTS
Accounts
Account wins 22
Active business clients 26
Brands by 2020 sales
Brand-product accounts held 33
$25 million or less 3
$25 million-$50 million 7
$50 million-$100 million 1
$100 million-$500 million 6
$500 million-$1 billion 1
$1 billion or more 5
Products not yet approved/launched 10
SERVICES MIX
Strategy 81%
Traditional 14%
Digital 5%
CLIENT ROSTER
AbbVie
Almirall
Amgen
DexCom
Dova
Eisai
EMD Serono
Genmab
MorphoSys
MorphoSys Foundation
Pear Therapeutics
Pharmacosmos
In February 2020, 1798 celebrated the agency’s 10th anniversary with an event that commended the team’s accomplishments, celebrated clients, and kicked off a new era as a Fingerpaint company. Having attracted Fingerpaint’s attention as a managed markets agency with multiyear double-digit growth and a deep roster of top-tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients, 1798 carried that success into 2020. The agency achieved revenue of $15.2 million – which management characterizes as “right on target for our first year post-acquisition” – and continued its dedication to the core focus that its leaders say has made 1798 uniquely successful: development of managed markets launch strategies, persuasive medical communications platforms, and compelling tools for complex specialty therapies.
RECENT ACCMPLISHMENTS
Throughout 2020, 1798 secured new business across the industry. The firm won 22 new accounts and was tapped as the managed markets launch agency of record for 11 brands. More importantly, it navigated the pandemic without any forced layoffs. According to agency leaders, that is a continuation of its 10-year history and a core component of the firm’s philosophy: putting people first.
The year started off strong, with several oncology AOR launch account wins, including MorphoSys, AVEO Oncology, Blueprint Medicines, and Mesoblast, as well as expansion to support the launch of a new oncology indication and product for EMD Serono. Outside oncology, 1798 was engaged by Pear Therapeutics in support of multiple digital therapies and retained by Alexion to help develop access approaches for products recently procured in the Portola acquisition. Genus Lifesciences and Neurocrine Biosciences also asked the agency to develop and refine targeted medical communications in support of market access.
Beyond that, 1798 expanded its relationship with Gilead Sciences through in-depth engagements with Gilead’s managed markets commercial learning and development team. The agency also partnered with DexCom to develop comprehensive training materials for the market access and sales teams.
To better serve clients, the agency opened a third office in San Diego, which allowed for continued collaboration between employees and clients. Concurrently, the firm embraced remote work as part of the long-term outlook for enhanced employee productivity and fulfillment in the post–COVID-19 era. In early 2020, 1798 hired Lisa McGill, a former managed markets marketing executive at Amgen, to address the challenges of virtual work. McGill was joined by Vania Frank, a former Genentech patient marketing executive, to ensure that team members retain, develop, and acquire skills and capabilities to conduct even more business in 2021.
To support the personal growth of all team members, 1798 has provided access to a former Novartis executive who facilitates on-demand, one-on-one coaching and leads courses on the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument as well as on situational learning. Another addition was a verbal remote communications specialist who offers insights and training for team members to become more effective communicators via phone- and web-based platforms.
STRUCTURE AND SERVICES
The executive talent that lies within the consultancy is a true reflection of deep health and wellness experience, agency leaders say. 1798 brought on Rommel Fernandez and two other senior consultants to lead its new analytics and insights team. This advanced team uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining to transform client data and provide predictive insights with complementary recommendations on strategies to achieve patient access and drive financial performance.
The agency also expanded its patient services offering with the hiring of Morris Lumpkin, a former client services lead at EnvoyHealth and Lash Group. According to agency leaders, Lumpkin’s expertise and wisdom were instrumental when 1798 helped fill a leadership role for a manufacturer without a senior director of patient services.
1798 further cultivated its agency engagement offering in 2020 to address the extraordinary needs and circumstances resulting from the pandemic by embedding four full-time employees at a manufacturer.
FUTURE PLANS
The leaders of 1798 are confident in their ability to develop innovative services that meet the needs of the complex therapies the agency supports. They look forward to have the agency partner with its sister company, Photo 51, a commercialization consultancy focused exclusively on the support of advanced therapeutics, including cell and gene therapies.
(from left center) Rommel Fernandez, Stanton Hartsfield, Roshawn Blunt, Kurt Hartman, Rachael Asselin, Bill Hershfield
PHILANTHROPY/CITIZENSHIP
1798’s company name is derived from the year in which the nation’s system of health insurance was created. According to its leaders, the agency is unique in its ability to develop strategy around healthcare policy. 1798’s services result in improved health insurance access, which in turn allows patients to obtain the treatment they need. The agency also develops free drug and copay card programs for patients in need. For example, 1798 recently played an instrumental role in working with a large biopharmaceutical manufacturer to launch a new oncology drug that was granted breakthrough status by FDA, meaning that the drug has the potential to provide a substantial improvement over existing options to treat a life-threatening condition. The agency’s efforts informed the development of a free drug program for uninsured and underinsured patients that resulted in greater than $30 million in products being provided free or at a reduced cost to patients in need.
Leaders at 1798 believe it is important to provide opportunities for the community to thrive and grow with the agency. The firm has provided its employees with opportunities for growth and continued success, while also striving for diversity in the growing workforce: 52 percent are women, 39 percent are ethnic minorities, and 15 percent are international. The company further contributes to the economic development of the local community by sourcing support services from local vendors and partnering with the University of California, San Diego, and the University of San Diego to provide paid internships to graduate students seeking a bridge from academics to the business world.
The agency’s community outreach in 2020 also included donations to Feeding San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego, and Alzheimer’s San Diego. In addition, they provided pro bono and discounted consulting support to charities in the healthcare space.
As 1798 grows, agency leaders are excited and proud to continue developing these partnerships and important ties with their community.
