September 22, 2022 was a night to remember. It marked the return of our in-person Trailblazer Awards Gala after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and the entire night filled my heart with joy. One of my favorite things to do here at PM360 is celebrate our industry’s awe-inspiring achievements. What all of you are able to achieve each year is unmatched by any other industry. You make it possible for people to live longer and better-quality lives. You solve health crises that shut the world down for years. You spread disease awareness, improve access to treatments, and offer education about the latest medical breakthroughs all in the name of ensuring people get the care they need. You deserve to be celebrated.
And I do mean celebrated. Just recognizing your achievements by announcing your name, company, or product has never been enough for me. After all of the hard work you do to help others, I want you to have a night for yourselves. Frankly, I want you to have fun. To enjoy the company of your fellow colleagues, maybe with a cocktail or two. Let loose on the dance floor. And just revel in how special this industry and everyone in that room is. I know I missed this kind of celebration during the pandemic. Throwing a party over Zoom is not nearly the same. Which was why throughout the night on September 22nd I just couldn’t contain my smile. We were finally back together in Gotham Hall for an epic celebration worthy of our industry.
That includes our first-ever Brand of the Year winner TEPEZZA (teprotumumab-trbw) from Horizon Therapeutics, which is the first and only medicine approved by the FDA for the treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). Or our Most Innovative New Product winner VYVGART from argenx—another first-of-its-class medicine that is helping to fill an urgent unmet clinical need for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), a rare, chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disease. Or our Medical Device/Diagnostic Company of the Year Sherlock Biosciences, which developed a novel diagnostic platform using CRISPR technology for the rapid detection of COVID-19.
Each of those is an extraordinary accomplishment that has and will continue to have a profound impact on so many lives. As will the work of all of our winners, which you can read more about here. They deserve your attention. They deserve to be celebrated.
