BOSTON – November 04, 2026 -- Sanofi ranked first in the 2026 CNS Summit Digital Innovation Index and placed in the top three in all three categories: research, clinical development and commercial. The rankings, developed with IDEA Pharma, a division of SAI MedPartners, were revealed on the CNS Summit 2026 main stage at Encore Boston Harbor.
Index ranks 30 pharma companies on public digital initiatives and investments
Now in its 11th year, the Index scores the top 30 pharmaceutical companies on digital innovation. It draws only on publicly reported initiatives and investments from July 2025 through July 2026.
The 2026 top 10 are Sanofi, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Chugai, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson, Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck KGaA.
Roche, Novo Nordisk and Recursion lead individual categories
Roche led the commercial category and Novo Nordisk led clinical development. Recursion led research.
Sanofi Chief Digital Officer Emmanuel Frenehard said digital and AI at the company are now a connected system spanning research, clinical development and commercial operations. He said this allows Sanofi to move from AI experimentation to AI that delivers impact at scale.
IDEA Pharma says embedded technology now defines digital leadership
Dr. Alexander Gray, IDEA Pharma's Chief Medical Officer and SVP of Consulting, said digital leadership in pharma is no longer only about adopting new technologies. It is about embedding them into decisions on candidate selection, drug development and patient care. In his view, this year's leaders show the value of connecting innovation across research, clinical development and commercial operations.
CNS Summit Chairman and Chief Curator Dr. Amir Kalali said digital innovation is becoming more important in research and development. He called the Index an independent effort to benchmark life science companies in this area.
The full 2026 rankings and an accompanying white paper are available on the CNS Summit and IDEA Pharma websites.