21GRAMS wins big
AstraZeneca tops the client leader board
The 40th PM Awards, supported by headline sponsor Avalere Health, were held on 20th March 2026 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. Over 850 industry professionals came together for this prestigious annual event to celebrate the best creative work in pharma marketing and healthcare communications.
Outgoing PM Society Chair Dom Marchant began the afternoon by introducing this year’s Creativity for Good initiative for charity You Okay, Doc?, dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals. This year the PM Society asked 40 generous agencies to donate £1000 each and to produce an artwork, all of which were displayed at the awards event. Standing at over £40,000, the money raised was the largest contribution to charity through the PM Awards in its 40-year history.
The ceremony was hosted by Russell Kane and Alan Dedicoat, with internet sensation Troy Hawke providing entertainment on arrival and eight-piece ensemble Hot Piece of Brass providing live music.
As a special addition to the 40th PM Awards, attendees got a chance to look back over the best pharma advertising and marketing campaigns of the last four decades: For some it was a trip down memory lane, seeing print ads that were familiar from the 90s and 00s. For others it was completely new, highlighting how much pharma marketing and advertising has changed over forty years.
Agency leader board
What a day for 21GRAMS. As in 2025, they won big, taking 6 Gold awards as well as winning Agency of the Year (Headcount Over 30), Best in Show and a Silver and a Bronze award. Verve won Agency of the Year (Headcount Under 30) and Matter’s Simon Warlow won Creative Champion.
Havas Lynx and Ogilvy Health both won 2 Gold awards, Other Gold winners included Cherry Thinking, Emota, part of Inizio Engage, Langland, McCann Health London, Omnicom Health Germany, Precision AQ and Syneos Health Communications.
Client leader board
The most successful client company was AstraZeneca, with 4 Gold awards, a winner of Pharma Marketing Pioneer and a Bronze.
Boehringer Ingelheim won 2 Golds, while Biogen won a Gold plus Best in Show. Other client winners were Biocodex, Eisai, Genentech, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Lady Garden Foundation, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Rare Care Centre at Perth Children’s Hospital and Sober Sidekick
The Pharma Marketing Pioneer Award was contested by 4 candidates in the final round and the judges decided to award two Gold awards, to AstraZeneca’s Chris Johnson and Bayer’s Lindsay Germain.
Of these two winners, judge Tess Wulff said, “Chris has utilised his truly impressive use of insight, KOLs, AI and agency collaboration to help millions of CKD sufferers globally. Great work and something for us all to emulate.” Meanwhile, judge Phil Blackmore said, “As a champion for the unconventional and daring, Lindsay succeeds in being both highly creative and fully compliant, such that her work sets a new standard in pharmaceutical marketing.”
At the end of the afternoon, Frank Walters and Tracey Brader, announced Best in Show, Friedreich’s Back by 21GRAMS for Biogen.
“This campaign is human-centric,” said Tracey, “and speaks to people for all they are, not through the lens of their illness.” While Frank added, “it’s brilliant that, after 40 years, agencies and clients continue to kneel at the altar of the big idea.”
The Positive Pitch and Partnership Award, now in its fourth year, went to the team at Dr Falk Pharma, nominated by CAN. The process run by the Dr Falk team demonstrated true respect for all agency parties, most strongly demonstrated by the reimbursement of agency time, as well as a fair and objective method of selecting agencies for inclusion and multiple 1:1 interaction opportunities.
The PM Awards continues to provide a popular forum for celebrating creativity, impact and innovation in creative communications in the pharma and healthcare sectors. The PM Society would like to thank all our sponsors for their support, the judges for their hard work and all those involved in making these awards happen.
PM Society Director, Rachel Farrow said, “It has been a special year for the PM Awards, and I continue to be delighted by the work that is submitted. There is so much talent in our industry, and it is wonderful to see so many people coming together for the ceremony to celebrate the creativity and hard work.”
Outgoing Chair and PM Awards lead Dom Marchant said, “What has been notable, as we celebrate 40 years of excellence in pharmaceutical marketing, is the fact that this year, as much as in any previous year, the key component to a winning campaign is the big idea. Technology has transformed the media landscape, but great creativity is still king.”
Gold and special award winners, full list:
Agency Self-Promotion/Internal Havas Lynx, Doctored Truths
Brand Promotion Langland for GSK, ANORO: Know the Full Story
Charity or Patient Organisation 21GRAMS for Sober Sidekick, Cancer Chips
Creative Medical Education Omnicom Health Germany for AstraZeneca, Asthma Transplant
D&I in Creative Communications Syneos Health Communications for Rare Care Centre, The Weight of Rare Disease
Disease Awareness: HCPs 21GRAMS for AstraZeneca, COVIDBALL
Disease Awareness: Public/Patients 21GRAMS for Biogen, Friedreich’s Back
Ogilvy Health UK for Boehringer Ingelheim, InSensitive Content
External Communications McCann Health London for Biocodex, Skincare for Down There
Internal Communications Precision AQ for Mead Johnson Nutrition, The Nutrition World Championship
Meetings, Events and Exhibitions Emota, part of Inizio Engage for AstraZeneca, Discovery-Led Booth at ASCO 2025
Patient Support 21GRAMS for Johnson & Johnson, Tasting Notes
Design Craft Havas Lynx for Lady Garden Foundation, The Blooming Vulva
Film Craft 21GRAMS for Genentech, ORBIT
Illustration Craft Cherry Thinking for Eisai, Little Moments
Use of Insight Ogilvy Health UK for Boehringer Ingelheim, InSensitive Content
Positive Pitch & Partnership Award Dr Falk Pharma nominated by CAN
Creative Champion Simon Warlow, Matter
Pharma Marketing Pioneer Chris Johnson, AstraZeneca, Lindsay Germain, Bayer
Agency of the Year (Over 30) 21GRAMS
Agency of the Year (Under 30) Verve
Best in Show 21GRAMS for Biogen, Friedreich’s Back
Sponsors:
Thank you to Avalere Health as headline sponsors, plus Accenture Song Life, CAN, Cherry Thinking, Cuttsy+Cuttsy, Dice Medical Communications, Doceree, Eolas Medical, Grace Comms, HSJ Information, Life, Matter, M3, Page & Page Health, Precision AQ, Publicis Health, OPEN Health, Swordfish Advertising, Synapsys IQ, Verve and xHealthcare.