The Pharmaceutical Marketing Innovation and Impact Awards – PMis for short – took place on 17 September at The Brewery, London. Now in its second year since being reimagined and rebranded from the PM Society Digital Awards, and supported by Doceree as Headline Partner, the event was a sell-out for the fourth year running, with over 500 people attending from across the pharma marketing and healthcare communications industry.
Guests were delighted to experience a new Finalists’ Exhibition sponsored by Accenture Song Life, showcasing the impressive impact of the work entered this year, and Camino sponsored an AI photo booth to give attendees a lasting memento of the day. The prize-giving ceremony was hosted by the award-winning comedian and presenter Zoe Lyons.
Avalere Health was the most successful agency, winning three Golds, a Silver and the highly contested accolade of PMi Agency of the Year (Headcount Over 30).
Other notable agency performances were Foundry 3, who took a Gold and Agency of the Year (Headcount Under 30), Matter, taking two Golds and a Silver, and Havas Lynx with two Golds and a Bronze.
Other agency Gold winners were ADVANCE®AI, Camino, Digitas Health LDN, Fusion Agency Solutions, Langland, Nexus Healthcare Education, Red Nucleus, Space & Time Health and 11 London.
In praise of Foundry 3, winner of PMi Agency of the Year (Headcount Under 30), judges said: “What set Foundry 3 apart was their distinctive overall story: a genuinely senior-led, employee-owned model with truly integrated technology and innovation, and strong client testimonials to back it up. The judges were impressed by the team’s resilience and ability to overcome significant challenges and procurement shifts. The “partners not employees” model was authentic, practical and grown up, offering the team the opportunity to shape their own future. Case studies were insights-driven, robustly executed and delivered true impact.”
Amica Scientific took a Highly Commended award in this close-run category.
The PMi Agency of the Year Award (Headcount Over 30) went to Avalere Health Global Marketing, with the judges in agreement saying: “Avalere knocked it out of the park. They demonstrated case studies with true creativity and impact, as well as an agency offering that feels future-proofed and strategically rooted. The clients included in the second-round presentation to judges provided an authentic glowing review of the partnership, with the Avalere team being a true extension of the client team. Avalere global marketing’s commitment to DEI initiatives, including attending UK parliamentary meetings and important thought leadership, made them stand out from the crowd. Their “magnet-not-mandate” office policy and vibrant culture stood out too.”
Camino took a Highly Commended award in this category, having won the same accolade in the Headcount Under 30 category last year.
Katie Sinclair from 11 London, winner of the PMi Agency Champion Award, impressed the judges in a high-quality finalists’ group that saw a High Commendation go to Jenny Magleave of Four Agency Worldwide and a Commendation for Annie Carswell of Camino.
About the winner, judges said, “Katie showed commercial acumen and flexibility, always delivering above her role expectations. She has clearly managed complex projects with impressive results and she articulated her personal contribution, while acknowledging the role of the team around her.”
On the client side, the leaderboard showed a good spread of twelve Gold-winning companies. Most Gold awards were won by The Urology Foundation, with three. Roche took two Golds and a Silver, and Novo Nordisk together with its affiliate in India took two Golds.
Other Gold-winning pharma companies were GSK, Pfizer, Gedeon Richter, Takeda, Thriva, Philips, Civia Health and UCB.
The Pharma Partner of the Year Award went to Simon Delalande from UCB, with Nick Alcock of Norgine being awarded Commended. Judges said of the winner, “Simon brings both passion and deep marketing expertise, with a sharp instinct for exactly where an agency partner can add the greatest value. Simon has a growth mindset and a huge amount of self-awareness. Knowing he is not the expert on everything is what lets him bring in other organisations and other expertise; in essence, partnership in practice.”
Awards Lead Rachel Farrow said: “I love the breadth of work seen at the PMis and particularly the high number of companies represented, with over 50 different agencies and close to 40 client companies in the PMi finals. This reminds us that we have a flourishing industry full of talented people in a range of different agencies and technology providers. While it’s been another tough year for many companies, the standard of work is as high as ever and the industry continues to innovate and embed new technologies, striving to have greater impact so that important messages engage and inform more HCPs and patients.
“For a second time the PMi awards demonstrate how our sector continues to find fresh approaches that make a real difference, and I would highlight the winners of the Innovation in Marketing and Communications award for their brilliant and novel way of thinking about communicating with a specific community, that was so deeply human and understanding of its audience. Also, the Impact in Pharma Technology Gold award winners used AI, as well as other tech, to clearly move the dial on the quality and relevance of HCP-to-Rep interactions – something that will resonate across the industry.”
Full list of Gold winners
- Disease & Health Awareness: Public – Avalere Health for The Urology Foundation
- Independent Medical Education – Nexus Healthcare Education
- HCP Education, Training & Support – Red Nucleus for Novo Nordisk India
- Internal Communications – Camino for Various
- Congress, Meetings & Events – Havas Lynx for Novo Nordisk
- Film, Animation & Video – Matter for Roche
- Purpose & Positive Impact – Avalere Health for The Urology Foundation
- Clinical Trial Recruitment & Retention – Space & Time Health for Civia Health
- Healthcare Charities, Patient Associations & NHS – Avalere Health for The Urology Foundation
- External Communications – Langland for Philips
- Customer Engagement Excellence – Digitas Health LDN for Pfizer
- Patient Support Programmes – Matter for Roche
- Brand Promotion – Fusion Agency Solutions for Takeda
- Sustained Excellence – Foundry 3 for Gedeon Richter
- Innovation in Marketing and Communications – Havas Lynx for Thriva
- Impact in Pharma Technology – ADVANCE®AI for GSK
- Agency Champion of the Year – Katie Sinclair, 11 London
- Agency of the Year (Headcount Under 30) – Foundry 3
- Agency of the Year (Headcount Over 30) – Avalere Health
- Pharma Partner of the Year – Simon Delalande, UCB