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The health.tech Conference 2024, organized by Bits & Pretzels, took place for the third time in Munich and has established itself as one of the leading European events for digital solutions in the healthcare sector. With over 3,000 participants from more than 60 countries, founders of startups, investors, healthcare providers, and executives from companies gathered to drive innovative ideas, forge partnerships, and promote entrepreneurial thinking.

The main theme of the conference was digital healthcare with a focus on expanding digital infrastructure, patient-centered care, and the digital advancement of our healthcare systems. There were numerous interesting sessions on the latest developments, strategies, and challenges related to Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, providing exciting insights into concrete practical applications.

In panel discussions or presentations, including those featuring the "Go to the Market Champions," attendees had the chance to gain insights from accomplished founders such as Selfapy, Oviva, Vivira Health Lab, XO Life, and Recare Deutschland on their strategies for bringing healthcare innovations to market. Success strategies as well as the hurdles they had to overcome were lively discussed.

Another highlight was this year's country partnership with Denmark. This provided attendees with the opportunity, in a session with Julian Springer (Senior Digital Health Advisor, Trifolk), Marlis Erichsen (Science- and Innovation Attaché, Innovation Center Denmark – Munich), and moderator Inga Bergen (Founder, VdG Media & InBergen UG), to get to know the innovative Danish healthcare system and engage with leading Danish founders in the field of health technologies.

Once again this year, the Pfizer Healthcare Hub had a booth and was delighted with numerous interested visitors. In addition to many exciting conversations with startup founders, innovative healthcare concepts were also discussed, laying the groundwork for future collaborations. A complete success!

Digital Transformation in Focus

The conference placed the spotlight on digitalization as the focal point for addressing the current challenges in the healthcare sector. A particular emphasis was placed on the role of Artificial Intelligence, ranging from streamlining administrative processes to revolutionizing patient care. These discussions highlighted how digitalization could fundamentally transform the healthcare system in Germany.

In addition to the presentation by Chantal Friebertshäuser, Senior Vice President at Moderna, emphasizing the importance of AI in medical research and treatment, another highlight of the conference was the startup pitch session. Thorsten Mintel, Director of Strategic Innovation at Pfizer, and Maria Hinz, Digital Coordinator at Barmer, were part of the jury for a pitch session where innovative startups like nyra health and Oska Health showcased their latest developments.This session underscored the potential of startups to transcend the boundaries of conventional therapy approaches and chart new paths in patient care through the use of AI and digital technologies. The Pfizer Healthcare Hub had some colleagues present to foster synergies and bring innovative insights back into the company.

The conference concluded with a clear push for the digitization of healthcare and marked a milestone for future-oriented and efficient healthcare provision in Germany.

"The potential (of the Baden region) is enormous, we have 65,000 employees in the health sector, we have the third largest university hospital and we have Fraunhofer Institutes. But we are far too little seen as a health region – we can strengthen that together with the tri-national partners , expand and make our region visible, said Mailaika Lauk. Senior Consultant at BadenCampus about the importance of the event for the region as a health location. The BadenCampus was next to the Innovation Office der Universität Basel, the Life Science Accelerator Baden-Württemberg and Quest for Health one of the organizers of the two-day innovation exchange with over 180 participants.
 

The Trinational Health Tech Days should not only ensure more visibility and cooperation in the tri-border area, but also give founders and entrepreneurs the opportunity to get in touch with funds, venture capitalists and companies and provide insights into how companies work with startups .

Pfizer at the Trinational Health Tech Days 2023

At the panel "For digital health startups: Similarities and differences between French, German and Swiss: How to DIGA?" Thorsten Mintel, Director of Strategic Innovation at Pfizer, gave insights into corporate-startup collaboration: Using the example of the collaboration with Selfapy, he spoke about Pfizer's experiences with DiGAs. Also there were Peter Hartung, Head of BU Consulting at Seleon GmbH; Mayella Favre, CEO & Founder of F+R Services GmbH; Axel Meiling, Digital Oxygen. Bodo Brückner from the Life Science Accelerator Baden-Württemberg and Malaika Lauk from Baden Campus moderated the panel. 

In the subsequent discussions, Peter Neske expanded these insights to include his perspective as Innovation Lead of the Pfizer Healthcare Hub, which initiates collaborations between startups, spin-offs and tech companies and Pfizer.

"For us, visibility in the startup scene is very important. We want to offer health solutions in the digital area together with startups that improve the health of patients in the indications in which we are familiar, but also in production and logistics", said Thorsten Mintel about the meaning of the Trinational Health Tech Days for Pfizer.

Take-Aways of the event

The event showed that all three countries are working on the topic of DiGA, but under very different conditions. In a trinational comparison, the chances of successfully establishing yourself on the market are currently highest in Germany. In addition, the cross-border exchange has proven to be very valuable for the participants. The common goal of developing into one of the leading life science clusters worldwide has been defined.

We are already looking forward to the next pit stop on this ambitious path: the Health Tech Days 2024, which will then take place in Germany!
 

The focus was on the discussion of the topic “Traditional Pharma Model vs. Modern DiGA Strategies - Challenges in HCP Outreach for DiGAs”. The event was initiated with a keynote speech titled “DTx Partnerships between Start-up and Pharma - Learnings and Experiences” by Thorsten Mintel, Director Strategic Innovation at Pfizer. This was followed by an open discussion round where various aspects were highlighted:

1. Current Status and Challenges in HCP Engagement by DiGAs: It was discussed where DiGAs currently stand, the hurdles they face in their implementation, and how the interaction with HPCs can be improved. 
2. Comparison between DiGAs and Traditional Pharma: The discussion also focused on the advantages and disadvantages of DiGAs compared to the traditional pharmaceutical industry. 
3. Increasing the Acceptance of DiGAs: Experts discussed ways to enhance the acceptance of DiGAs. 

Among the experts sharing their insights were Dr. Hanne Horvath, founder of Hello Better, and Michael Erdmann, Director HCP Health at Kaia Health. Additionally, Marcus Bergler, DiGA Go to Market Expert, and Nicholas Rosen, Founder & CEO of Exaris Solutions, were part of the discussion. Joachim Hirt, Commercial Director at Inizio Engage, and Thorsten Mintel, Director Strategic Innovation at Pfizer also contributed valuable expertise and together brought diverse perspectives into the discussion.

The experts emphasized, among other things, the importance of creating awareness among physicians about DiGAs and explained that many physicians are not familiar with the prescription process and use of DiGAs. Furthermore, the importance of targeted targeting and segmentation for the success of DiGAs was highlighted, including an omnichannel approach. In addition, they emphasized that direct sales are also a crucial success factor for the marketing of DiGAs.

The event provided a platform for the exchange and discussion of key topics related to DiGAs. Participants had the opportunity to establish valuable contacts and engage in discussions with leading experts. The event offered valuable insights into current challenges and potential solutions to shape the future of DiGAs. The topics of awareness, targeting, and segmentation continue to be of great importance for shaping the future of DiGAs.