3D visualization for pharmaceutical companies

Explaining a drug means explaining a process nobody can see. Neither the healthcare professional who prescribes it, nor the patient who takes it, nor the sales team who present it has access to what happens at molecular scale. This page brings together what we do for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, with the specific projects behind each format.

Projects we have done for pharma

HIPRA — Bimervax vaccine. 3D animation of the mechanism of action of a recombinant protein vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, validated stage by stage with HIPRA’s scientific team.

Salvat — UVESOL. Immersive virtual reality representation of the mechanism of action of a treatment for ocular inflammation, for the global launch at the CPHI 2023 trade fair.

Pfizer — SORCOM 2023 congress. A 360º virtual fair navigable from the browser for a rheumatoid arthritis campaign, with an urban park inspired by bone anatomy and ten interactive hotspots holding documentation.

Abbott Nutrition — Glucerna. A virtual reality serious game for the launch at the SEMDOR 2023 Congress, where the attendee acted inside a simulated clinical setting.

Novartis — psoriasis. Mechanism of action in augmented reality, to understand the disease from the inside.

AstraZeneca — TRIXEO Aerosphere inhaler. An interactive 3D presentation of an inhaler indicated for COPD, plus a hologram project.

ESTEVE — Ozonest. Mechanism of action in augmented reality.

Boehringer Ingelheim — canine anatomy. An interactive 3D application used as a clinical tool in animal health.

Fresenius Kabi and Grifols complete the list, together with virtual reality projects aimed at humanizing hospital care.

Which format to choose, and why

The decision is not aesthetic, it is contextual. It depends on where the piece will be seen and how much time you have with each person.

Linear animation when the message is the same for the whole audience and has to be projected: a lecture, a video on the website, a training resource.

Individual virtual reality when the value lies in being inside the process and there is a stand with someone attending it, as at CPHI with Salvat.

A web virtual environment when the objective is reach and the campaign has to stay alive after the congress, as with Pfizer at SORCOM.

Augmented reality when the visitor brings their own phone and the process has to be overlaid on something physical: a package, a leaflet, a stand.

A serious game when the objective is a behaviour rather than a fact, and the attendee has to decide instead of watch.

Scientific validation is not a formality

In a pharma project the content is defined by your team. We do not decide what is said about a drug: we start from the medical script the client provides and translate it into images. In the Bimervax animation, every stage — the structure of the recombinant protein, the role of the adjuvant, the immune response sequence — was validated with HIPRA’s scientific team before the scene was considered final.

That back and forth is what separates a usable piece from a merely attractive one. And it is worth saying plainly: a 3D animation does not replace a product’s technical and regulatory documentation. It accompanies it as supporting material for presentations, sales team training or scientific outreach, and that is how it should be presented.

The three moments when companies call us

A launch. There is a date and a new product has to be explained to a specialist audience. That was the case with Bimervax, UVESOL and Glucerna. Here the deadline rules: the script has to be validated with enough margin left to produce.

A congress. There is a stand or a lecture, and hundreds of competitors for the visitor’s attention. The question here is how much time you have with each person: a minute in a corridor does not allow the same thing as a seated session.

Training. Sales teams, medical representatives or healthcare professionals who will have to explain the product afterwards. This is the use that gets reused most: an animation made for a launch usually has a second life here, re-edited slower and more explanatory.

How we work

Five phases, the same on every project and set out in detail on our company page: script and indicative quote; a drawn storyboard to validate shots and framings before a render exists; development with preview images to validate anatomy, materials and finishes; final render, editing and sound, with voice-over in any language; and programming, publishing and delivery, including publication on Google Play and the App Store, where 10 to 15 days of store review have to be accounted for.

The storyboard phase is the important one for you: while the project is still drawn, changing a scene costs little. After the render, it costs.

Frequently asked questions from pharmaceutical companies

Who writes the scientific script?
Your team. We work from the medical script the client provides. If that script contains something that does not hold up visually, or that invites a wrong reading, we say so before starting.

Can we use the animation in front of a regulatory agency?
As supporting material, yes; as a substitute for the approved data sheet, no. The animation works in internal presentations, sales team training and scientific outreach, always making clear that it is an educational resource.

How long does a mechanism of action animation take?
It depends on the number of biological phases and the level of molecular detail. For a mechanism with several stages, the complete process from validation of the script to the final render usually takes several weeks, with at least one round of review by your team.

Can the same piece be reused across several channels?
Yes, and it is worth planning for from the start. One production yields versions for a congress, for medical representative training, for social media and for patient-facing material, adjusting length and technical level to the channel.

In how many languages?
Voice-over can be produced in any language, and on-screen text is kept as replaceable layers if it is known from the start that there will be several versions. That way adding a language does not require re-rendering.

What if the mechanism is updated with new evidence?
If the base 3D model and the narrative structure remain valid, the affected part is revised without rebuilding the project. A new indication or a nuance in the mechanism is usually a partial update.

Do you work with our agency or directly with us?
Both. Some projects come directly from the laboratory and others through communication agencies, for whom we have a dedicated page.

What if the product is in animal health?
The criterion is the same. The interactive canine anatomy application for Boehringer Ingelheim and HIPRA’s veterinary origins are two examples that the method does not change: what changes is the anatomy that has to be built.

Do you need access to a real clinical setting to produce the piece?
No, and that is precisely one of the reasons companies turn to 3D. Salvat’s challenge at CPHI was to explain the mechanism of action of UVESOL to a specialist audience with no access to a real clinical environment. Animation and virtual reality are generated from the model and the script, not from a recording, so the piece can exist before the first clinical or commercial materials do.

If you have a launch, a congress or a training programme in the calendar, send us the medical script and we will tell you which format makes sense, in how long and at what budget.