On the evening of Wednesday, May 20, at Allianz Cloud, Milan’s historic sports venue dressed up for a grand gala, the awards of the 13th edition of the AboutPharma Digital Awards took place. The event reaffirmed itself as a privileged observatory of the evolution of Italy’s healthcare sector. A key gathering, therefore, for all the stakeholders shaping health communication, with recognitions awarded to the most innovative digital projects and to the Best Company, among pharmaceutical firms and medical device manufacturers.
The gala night opened by Stefania Ambra, CEO and General Manager of HELYX, with thanks to the jury members, sponsors, partners, and the competing companies. She then handed the floor to Ivo A. Nardella, President of the Gruppo Tecniche Nuove, who called to the stage to moderate Giulio Zuanetti, Executive Board Member of HELYX and CEO of AboutScience, alongside Fabrizio Marino and Fabio Di Todaro, journalists of AboutPharma, who alternated in a masterful fashion as they announced the winners, in a rhythm of awards.
Stefania Ambra began with an opening message that serves as a spur to always do better: “To reach victory you need the strength of collective effort, fueled by energy, commitment, and a continuous quest for excellence. And that’s precisely why we are here with you, the protagonists of innovation.” The evening was, in fact, also an opportunity to introduce HELYX, the new editorial venture from the Tecniche Nuove group, entirely devoted to healthcare communication. As Ivo A. Nardella emphasized: “HELYX was born from an idea rooted in the DNA of our history: to inform, organize, and disseminate knowledge. We have built an information, communication, and events ecosystem, with more than thirty hubs dedicated to health and well-being. In a landscape increasingly driven by digitization and artificial intelligence, HELYX introduces a fundamental element: natural intelligence. It guides our projects and makes it possible to build authentic relationships and truly value the work you do every day.”
Giulio Zuanetti presented the edition’s numbers. In total, 510 nominations were submitted from 190 participating entities, resulting in 297 unique projects and about 480 professionals involved in the innovation processes. The individual projects were analyzed by 42 jury members, experts in various fields, who selected the most deserving. This 13th edition enjoyed the support of 17 sponsor entities, along with the participation of 8 partners. Zuanetti also recalled that the latest two years brought novelty in the “Therapeutic area company awards,” which recognized companies not for a single project, but for the overall quality of all the projects submitted for that therapeutic area, across the different clusters of interest in the Awards: communication, operational excellence, support for HCPs, and care optimization.
Thus, the competition entered the awards phase with the category Wellness, prevention, quality of life, won by Chiesi Italia for the project “Noi, i nuovi eroi” (Us, the new heroes), tied to the transplant pathway with daily choices and challenges for patients and caregivers, supported both informationally and emotionally. The event then moved to the Clinical Research category, which saw the victory of the project “Cancer Virtual Lab” from IRST IRCCS Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori; Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna; Aivolution; IFAB – International Foundation Big Data.
AstraZeneca, then, took home two prizes, one for the category Support to the medical profession and the other for the category Communication towards the healthcare professional. In the communications arena as well, Chiesi Farmaceutici won in the category Communication towards institutions; while Takeda Italia claimed the prize in the Communication towards citizens and patients category. For the Update and training of physicians category, the award went to Alexion Pharma Italy. And for the Improvement of patient care and the healthcare offering category, the trophy was awarded to the Abbott team. Several other categories were recognized during the evening. Below are all the podium placements for the 13th edition of the AboutPharma Digital Awards.
BEST COMPANY
- Best Pharma Company
Gold: AstraZeneca
Silver: Chiesi
Bronze: Bayer
- Best Medical Device Company
Winner: Abbott
- Best Digital Agency
Winner: VML Health
BEST DIGITAL PROJECT
- Wellness, prevention, quality of life – Winner: Chiesi Italia
Finalists: EDUCOM/IQVIA, Menarini IFR, Chiesi Italia, Amgen Italia, Bayer., Gruppo Servier in Italia
- Clinical Research – Winner: IRST IRCCS “Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori; Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna; Aivolution; IFAB – International Foundation Big Data
Finalists: AstraZeneca, Chiesi Italia, ARGENX ITALY, IRST IRCCS “Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori; Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna; Aivolution; IFAB – International Foundation Big Data, FISM – VISIONAGE, AstraZeneca
- Digital transformation dell’industria lifesciences – Winner: Merck Italia
Finalists: Merck Italia, Takeda Italia., Abbott Italia, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Chiesi Italia
- Engagement e formazione dello staff aziendale – Winner: Pfizer Italia
Finalists: IBSA Italy, AstraZeneca, Merck Italia, Pfizer Italia, Leo Pharma, Bayer
- Artificial Intelligence for Company Excellence – Winner: Bayer
Finalists: Bayer, Lilly Italia, Novartis, Daiichi Sankyo Italia, Boehringer Ingelheim Italia, Roche Diagnostics
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) projects – Winner: Lilly Italia
Finalists: Chiesi Italia, Pfizer Italia, Lilly Italia, Gruppo Servier in Italia, IBSA Italy, Daiichi Sankyo Italia
- Supporto alla professione dei medici – Winner: AstraZeneca
Finalists: Medtronic – Candex, Daiichi Sankyo Italia, AstraZeneca, Pierre Fabre Italia, Boehringer Ingelheim Italia, Lilly Italia
- Patient engagement and advocacy – Winner: ARGENX ITALY
Finalists: Biogen Italia, Zambon Italia e Confederazione Parkinson Italia, AstraZeneca, ARGENX ITALY., Sobi Italia – Honboard, Bayer
- Comunicazione verso l’healthcare professional – Winner: AstraZeneca
Finalists: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Italia, Sonova Audiological Care Italia/BB&C, Blueprint Medicines Italy, Novartis, Recordati Rare Diseases Italy
- Comunicazione verso le istituzioni – Winner: Chiesi Farmaceutici
Finalists: Angiodroid, Chiesi Farmaceutici., WELLSPECT, Medtronic – Candex, Neuraxpharm, Lilly Italia
- Comunicazione verso cittadini e pazienti – Winner: Takeda Italia
Finalists: Dr. Max Italia, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Italia, FIDIA FARMACEUTICI, Merck Italia, Almirall, Takeda Italia
- Aggiornamento e formazione dei medici – Winner: Alexion Pharma Italy
Finalists: IPSEN, Alexion Pharma Italy, Leo Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo Italia, FUJIFILM Healthcare Italia, CSL
- Artificial Intelligence for Communication, Education, Training – Winner: Alfasigma
Finalists: Chiesi Italia, Daiichi Sankyo Italia, 3F-LAB Srl – FIRST FORWARD FUTURE LAB SRL, AstraZeneca, Alfasigma, Leo Pharma
- Miglioramento della cura dei pazienti e dell’offerta sanitaria – Winner: Abbott Italia
Finalists: AstraZeneca, Novartis, Sanofi-Regeneron, Johnson & Johnson e ALTEMS – APCO W., Abbott Italia, PHD Lifescience
- Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Practice and research – Winner: BRACCO
Finalists: Blueprint Medicines Italy, BRACCO, Bracco Imaging, UCB PHARMA, Chiesi Italia, AstraZeneca
- Progetti per farmacisti e farmacie – Winner: FIDIA FARMACEUTICI
Finalists: FIDIA FARMACEUTICI, Takeda Italia, Chiesi Italia, Roche Diagnostics, FIDIA FARMACEUTICI, Dr. Max Italia
- Animal Health – Winner: Vetoquinol Italia
Finalists: Ceva Salute Animale, Vetoquinol Italia, Virbac, Ceva Salute Animale, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
THERAPEUTIC AREA COMPANY AWARD
Regarding the seven therapeutic areas in competition, the winning companies were also as follows:
- LeoPharma for Dermatology: a field accelerating strongly with the introduction of increasingly innovative diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.
- Ibsa for Orthopedics, Rheumatology and Pain Therapy: management of inflammation, pain, and rehabilitation where digital solutions are allies for therapeutic adherence and quality of life.
- Roche Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases: epidemiological surveillance, precision diagnostics, and management of complex therapeutic protocols.
- Bayer for Ophthalmology: diagnostic precision and technological innovation for treating ocular conditions.
- Daiichi Sankyo for Oncology: personalized medicine and integrated support platforms set new standards.
- Chiesi for Respiratory Diseases: managing chronic conditions through devices and remote monitoring.
- AstraZeneca for Cardiovascular Diseases: digital health integrated into the treatment of acute episodes and primary/secondary prevention.
Abbonati a Karla Miller
