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PharmStars Digital Health Accelerator White Logo

Accelerating pharma-digital health partnerships

Applications now being accepted for Spring 2022!

Applications now being accepted for the next cohort!

**Participation terms updated to accommodate Covid restrictions**

Deadline extended to 23:59 EST Wednesday Feb 9, 2020

Applications close in:
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watch this space!

Opening for Spring 2024 Applications on
January 2, 2024

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About PharmStarsTM

PharmStars is the pharma-focused accelerator for digital health startups, dedicated to driving digital health adoption to improve patient outcomes. We educate and mentor digital health startups seeking engagement with pharma and biotech firms. We are supported by our pharma members who are committed to working with startups that graduate from our accelerator.

Promise of digital health

Digital health has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry and the patient experience. Digital health and pharma firms are eager to engage with one another. Yet both have found it challenging to create successful partnerships.

Bridging the pharma-startup gap

PharmStars is a novel digital health accelerator aimed at bridging the pharma-startup gap to drive greater adoption of digital health. Our 10-week accelerator program is designed to prepare startups for more productive engagements with pharma by teaching them what they need to know. The program culminates with the Showcase Event. Startups present their solutions to our pharma members and then have the opportunity to meet individually with them.

"Our mission is to facilitate and accelerate successful partnerships between digital health startups and pharma, leading to greater success for each and faster adoption of digital health to improve patient outcomes."
- Naomi Fried PhD, Founder & CEO, PharmStars

Accelerator Highlights

Our next cohort is about to launch! Digital health startups, with market-ready solutions in our theme area and interested in engaging with pharma, are encouraged to apply. Please refer to our Program Terms for the detailed requirements.

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Cohort Specific Pharma Themes

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10 Digital Health 
Startups

Personalized
Mentoring

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Pharma Curriculum

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Pitch Presentation
to Pharma

PharmaUTM

The centerpiece of the PharmStars accelerator is PharmaU: a unique, comprehensive educational program. Its three components are a curriculum for startups, mentoring for startups, and "Executive Ed" courses for pharma. PharmaU’s courses are developed and led by PharmStars’ experienced team of former pharma executives with deep expertise in digital health, innovation, and startups.

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Curriculum

Courses for startups about how to engage pharma successfully include topics such as:

  • pharma's internal structures and functions
  • pharma business models
  • regulatory drivers
  • pharma-startup deal structures
  • current industry trends
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Mentoring

Individualized coaching from our PharmStars staff on how startups can successfully engage pharma. We guide startups through the process, from building a compelling value proposition through crafting an effective pitch.

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Executive Education

Workshops and seminars for pharma members, providing insight into how to successfully implement digital health programs and partnerships.

Fall 2023 Timeline

Applications open

June 5

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Applications due

July 10

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Acceptances sent

August 25

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Launch Event

September 6-7

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PharmaU

Sept 11 - Nov 3

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Showcase Event

November

Fall 2023 Cohort Theme:
Digital Innovations in Therapeutic Delivery: Supply Chain to the Patient Interface

A patient’s therapeutic experience is often a central part of their health journey and encompasses far more than just taking or being administered a prescription medicine. Multiple challenges exist in both the supply and delivery aspects of therapeutics that can profoundly impact both patients and pharmaceutical firms.

Even before a patient receives a therapy, the steps in the pharmaceutical supply chain process pose myriad challenges: manufacturing, sourcing, logistics, distribution, and cold chain management; product integrity and anti-counterfeiting; inventory management, regulatory compliance, and sustainability. Digital solutions can address many of these challenges.

Particular challenges also exist around in vivo drug delivery, including stability and bioavailability, tolerability, effective absorption into the target tissue; and the avoidance of undesirable drug-drug interactions. Accurate dosing and monitoring of therapeutic effects during and after administration are vital. Pharma is interested in novel drug delivery platforms and mechanisms of administration for small molecules and biologics, as well as advanced therapies such as gene and cell therapies.

Adherence to therapeutic regimens is also crucial to the patient drug experience, yet inadequate patient education and variable health literacy can negatively impact a patient’s ability to successfully follow a medication regimen. Poor medication compliance and persistence result in inferior health outcomes for patients and lost revenue for pharma.

The theme of the Fall 2023 PharmStars’ cohort, “Digital Innovations in Therapeutic Delivery: Supply Chain to the Patient Interface,” encompasses digital health solutions that improve the therapeutic supply chain, delivery, or the patient-drug experience for small molecules, biologics, and advanced therapies. Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

Novel drug delivery and administration platforms
  • Companion devices
  • Dynamic dosing
Supply chain management or efficiency
  • Sourcing, logistics, tracking, product integrity, and compliance
  • Sustainability and recycling
Treatment management
  • Patient education, health literacy
  • Medication adherence and persistence
  • Remote patient monitoring

2022 Spring Cohort Theme Coming Soon

Are You Ready?

PharmStars Spring 2023 Applications Open January 2, 2024!