A New “Voyage”

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Between 10 and 17 May 2025, European eyes, and indeed eyes from all over the world, will be set on Basel, Switzerland for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, where creativity and talent are celebrated in a multi-show spectacular! The first ever Eurovision Song Contest was held in 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland, and while there were only seven nations competing against each other for the inaugural competition, the Swiss came out on top and won (1).

The contest’s return to the country it was founded in, Switzerland, was too good an opportunity for Swiss pharma giant, Novartis, to miss. While it may seem an unusual pairing—Big Pharma with a music competition—the company is seeking to use this global platform to promote its broader campaign of “reimagining medicine, together” (2).

“Novartis is honoured to be an official partner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel—our home city. Both our organizations were born in Switzerland and believe deeply in the power of collaboration and bringing people together,” said Rob Kowalski, chief people & organization officer for Novartis, in a press release (3).

Indeed, the power of collaboration is a critically important for the bio/pharma industry—a detail that was proven during COVID-19 when collaborative efforts helped push therapeutic advances forward to the benefit of patients around the world. On a personal note, when reflecting on the fact that this is my last issue of Pharmaceutical Technology Europe^TM, I must agree that working closely with many industry experts has been key to ensuring success throughout my various editorial roles over the years. And, as I prepare to depart my wonderful Pharmaceutical Technology Group colleagues for my next professional adventure, it will be the relationships and collaborations that I will celebrate most!

So, eagerly awaiting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest extravaganza, I wish Switzerland’s entry, Zoë Më, ‘bon chance’ for their song ‘Voyage’ as I set off to embark on my own new voyage with new collaborations.

Thanks for reading, and à bientôt!

References

1. Eurovision Song Contest. The Origins of Eurovision. Eurovision.tv (accessed 24 March 2025).
2. Novartis. The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. Novartis.com (accessed 24 March 2025).
3. Eurovision Song Contest. Novartis Announced as ‘Official Partner’ for Basel 2025. Press Release, 31 Oct. 2024.

About the author

Felicity Thomas is Associate Editorial Director of PharmTech Group.

Article details

Pharmaceutical Technology Europe^TM
Vol. 37, No. 2
March 2025
Page: 5

Citation

When referring to this article, please cite it as Thomas, F. A New “Voyage”. Pharmaceutical Technology Europe 2025 37 (2).