ROMART Group, media partner of the annual All-Russian open competition "Platinum Ounce", is pleased to announce results and winners of the award.

On April 20, the best employers, manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and pharmacy chains, social and commercial projects, as well as the most popular drugs of 2016, were awarded the Crystal "Pharmaceutical Oscars", thereby confirming their superiority over many competitors.

This year the Organizing Committee was represented by the following companies: Institute for Public Health Development, QuintilesIMS, Pharmaceutical Bulletin newspaper, DSM Group, Ipsos Healthcare, Alpharm Company, Executive Directorate of the Competition — Aaron Lloyd Communication Group, Organizer of the award ceremony — RX CODE Communication Agency. Honesty of voting was traditionally tracked by the EY international company.

The contest is true to its traditions, one of which is the place of the celebration — the Evropejsky banquet hall. The theme of the festive evening is the Russian avant-garde, which this year marks 100 years.

The topic was chosen not casually: according to the organizers, the unpredictable and contradictory Russian avant-garde and the pharmaceutical industry clearly have a similar aspiration to progress and newness.

The solemn ceremony of rewarding the winners of the Platinum Ounce 2016 was opened by Yuri Krestinsky, Director of the Institute for Public Health Development and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the competition. "I believe that the Platinum Ounce is a holiday of our pharmaceutical industry" - he told. "Let's hope that the Day of the Pharmacist will be once formally established in our country, and today we consider that "Platinum Ounce" is the main day when we determine the very best, the most valuable and promising things that occur in our industry.

The organizing committee of the contest, which includes leading analytical companies, industry media, consulting agencies, did everything to ensure that the results of this competition were objective and most accurately reflect the essence of what is happening in the industry, and identify leaders in its various segments. This award was not easy. Preparing for the 17th competition, for the first time in the history of the award, the Drug of the Year nomination was divided into three sub-nominations: innovative drug, generic and combination drug and an OTC product."

21 crystal statuettes were received by winners in each of 16 subnominations and five more special nominations of the organizing committee — in comparison with last year's competition the prize fund grew by two statuettes.

The very first was awarded to the best employer — for the second year in a row this was Bayer, which this year took two "Ounces" at the contest: Bayer's Xarelto — winner of the Platinum Ounce in 2014 — took the first place among the original / innovative drugs.

Simultaneously with the ceremony, a charity exhibition was carried out in the lobby of the banquet hall — auction of paintings organized by the Podsolnukh Foundation and supported by the RHANA corporation.

Ekaterina Dibrova, President of RHANA Corporation, presented Irina Bakradze, the Managing Director of the Podsolnukh Foundation, with a cash certificate to help children with primary immunodeficiency.

Mrs. Dibrova entered the stage one more time for getting a deserved award in the special nomination "Innovative Biotechnologies in the Health Industry".