Now in its 11th year, the Index ranks the top 30 pharmaceutical companies on digital innovation, using publicly available information from July 2025 through June 2026. Companies are assessed on technology advancement, trial optimization and innovative partnerships, with separate rankings for commercial, clinical and research innovation.
Sanofi placed in the top three in all three categories: second in commercial, third in clinical and second in research. The result continues a steady climb, from ninth in 2022 to seventh in 2024, third in 2025 and first this year.
The 2026 top 10 are Sanofi, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Chugai, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck KGaA. Category leaders were Roche in commercial, Novo Nordisk in clinical and Recursion in research. Recursion is one of several AI-native companies added to this year’s Index.
CNS Summit’s Chairman and Chief Curator, Dr. Amir Kalali, said, “Digital innovation is becoming more and more important in research and development. We are pleased to continue to support this independent effort to benchmark the performance of life science companies in this area.”
IDEA Pharma’s Chief Medical Officer and SVP of Consulting, Dr Alexander Gray, added, “Eleven years into the Digital Innovation Index, we’re seeing a fundamental change in what defines digital leadership in pharma: it’s not only about adopting new technologies but also about embedding them into the decisions that shape candidate selection, drug development and patient care. This year’s leaders demonstrate the value of connecting innovation across research, clinical development and commercial operations, setting a new benchmark for the industry.”
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