Advice Pharma

What Advice Pharma does

Advice Pharma Group S.r.l. is an Italy-based digital medicine CRO that manages national and international clinical research projects for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biomedical companies, with a portfolio of six proprietary software platforms developed and refined over more than a decade. Its core product is ICE eCRF, an Electronic Data Capture and Clinical Data Management platform optimized for decentralized clinical trials and digital device connectivity (version 3.0 in 2023 claims up to 4x faster eCRF construction). Complementary platforms include HiBAD, an integrated regional hub for biobanking and clinical data analysis with AI/ML tooling under a partnership with Alfa Technologies International; Poliresearch for clinical research funding allocation; Prometheo for telemonitoring and specialist telemedicine in chronic disease; and Business Partner and Business Economics for distributor network management. The company is the first Italian biodigital CRO and the first in Italy to obtain UNI EN ISO 13485:2016 certification for the production of Digital Therapeutics as Software as a Medical Device, and additionally holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022.

Revenues are generated across four streams: CRO services for trial management and data governance (professional services), technology platform licensing (subscription/recurring), Digital Therapeutics development including CE marking and licensing/royalties (with four DTx in development, including KidneYou for AstraZeneca in chronic kidney disease and DTxO for obesity with Theras Lifetech), and custom IT development. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales into pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, supplemented by an annual flagship conference ('Digital for Clinical Day') and targeted participation in industry events. The company maintains operational headquarters at Polihub, Politecnico di Milano, and a legal registered office in Milan, plus commercial offices opened in Paris (April 2023, hosted by sister Sapio Group entity) and Berlin (July 2023) to address the French and German DTx markets.

Name

Advice Pharma

Legal name

Advice Pharma Group S.r.l.

Website

https://advicepharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Advice Pharma is an Italy-based digital medicine CRO developing proprietary platforms (ICE eCRF, HiBAD, Prometheo) and Digital Therapeutics for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and healthcare-provider customers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research Organization Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Informatics (EDC/CTMS/eCOA/eTMF) (HLAGAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medication Adherence, Digital Therapeutics & Remote Coaching (condition-specific programs) (HLALAFAF)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Electronic data capture
• Digital therapeutics
• Clinical data management
• Decentralized clinical trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CRO Services: Contract Research Organization services for clinical research projects, both national and international. Services include project management, clinical data management, and regulatory support for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biomedical companies.
2. Technology Platforms and Software: Proprietary digital platforms (ICE eCRF, HiBAD, Poliresearch, Prometheo, Business Partner, Business Economics) provided as solutions to solve customer needs. Custom software development services also offered.
3. Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Development: End-to-end development of Digital Therapeutics as Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), including software development, clinical validation, and CE marking. The company has four DTx in development.
4. IT Development Services: Custom software and hardware development for dedicated solutions, including preliminary analysis and agile development methodologies. Application as a service model for specialized vertical competencies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Advice Pharma is a Digital Medicine CRO that manages national and international clinical research projects for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biomedical companies, supported by a suite of proprietary digital platforms (ICE eCRF, HiBAD, Poliresearch, Prometheo, Business Partner, Business Economics) for electronic data capture, clinical data management, biobank integration, telemedicine/telemonitoring and research funding management. It also provides custom IT development, end-to-end Digital Therapeutics as Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), and runs the annual 'Digital for Clinical Day' conference.

Product overview

Advice Pharma is a Digital Medicine CRO offering a suite of proprietary digital platforms for clinical research and healthcare management. The portfolio centers on ICE eCRF as the core Electronic Data Capture and Clinical Data Management platform, complemented by specialized solutions: Poliresearch for research funding management, Prometheo for telemedicine and telemonitoring, Business Partner for distributor network support, Business Economics for global sales/stock management, and HiBAD for integrated biobank and clinical data analysis. The company also provides CRO services and custom IT development, all leveraging automated process management and real-time monitoring capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICE eCRF: Innovative software platform for Electronic Data Capture and Clinical Data Management, optimized for decentralized studies and digital patient monitoring.
• Poliresearch
• Prometheo
• HiBAD

Products and services

• ICE eCRF Innovative software platform for Electronic Data Capture (EDC) and Clinical Data Management, optimized for decentralized clinical trials and connectivity with digital devices for patient monitoring. Targeted at pharmaceutical sponsors and CRO teams conducting decentralized studies.
• HiBAD (Hub Integrato Biobanca Analisi Dati) Integrated system for collecting biological samples and clinical data for biomedical research, supported by clinical data governance services and an electronic dynamic informed consent platform. Built for research institutions, biobanks and healthcare providers running large-scale biomedical studies.
• Poliresearch Portal for the allocation of funding to projects in clinical and technological research. Designed to collect proposals in a structured manner for comparison and evaluation. Built for research funders, public bodies and academic institutions.
• Prometheo Platform for telemonitoring, specialist telemedicine and telehealth aimed at patients with chronic diseases, enabling management of health status and therapy optimization. Targeted at healthcare providers and chronic disease care programs.
• Business Partner Portal to support sales and marketing activities of distributor networks, including an integrated Distance Learning (ODL) platform. Built for distributor networks and commercial organizations.
• Business Economics Application enabling commercial management control of sales and product stocks of distributors at global level. Built for global distributor organizations needing centralized commercial management.
• Sviluppo IT (Custom IT Development) Custom software and hardware development for dedicated solutions, including preliminary analysis and Agile development methodologies, delivered as an application-as-a-service model for specialized vertical competencies. Targeted at organizations needing bespoke digital solutions.
• Servizi CRO (CRO Services) End-to-end Contract Research Organization services for national and international clinical research projects, including project management, clinical data management and regulatory support for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biomedical companies. Delivered via automated, real-time-monitored processes.
• Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Development (SaMD) End-to-end development of Digital Therapeutics as Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), including software development, clinical validation, and CE marking. Four DTx are currently in development, including KidneYou for chronic kidney disease (AstraZeneca) and DTxO for obesity treatment (Theras Lifetech).

Quantifiable outcome

• eCRF construction up to 4x faster with ICE eCRF 3.0 compared to initial version
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Alfa Technologies InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for the development of AI solutions intended for clinical research. Advice Pharma is actively working on AI solutions for clinical research in partnership with Alfa Technologies International (www.alfatechint.com).
• Sapio GroupcoreOthersAdvice Pharma is part of Sapio Group, a 100-year-old company group. The group includes Biorep, Homeperf, and other companies in the life sciences sector. Sapio Group provides the broader corporate structure and resources for Advice Pharma's operations.
• BioRep SrlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioRep Srl, a company of Sapio Group, is the lead company in the HIBAD project for Regione Lombardia. Collaboration includes integrated biological sample collection and clinical data management for biomedical research, as well as clinical study promotion (IRCCS E. Medea study on neurodevelopmental disorders, Diabetes Diagnostics study on prediabetes).
• IRCCS E. MedeamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical study collaboration within HIBAD project on children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Advice Pharma manages data collection through its platforms.
• Diabetes Diagnostics srlmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical study collaboration within HIBAD project for characterization of prediabetic subjects at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Theras LifetechmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for development of DTxO, the first digital therapeutic for obesity treatment. Advice Pharma developed the digital therapeutic in collaboration with Theras Lifetech.
• Politecnico di MilanomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvice Pharma is located at Polihub, incubator of Politecnico di Milano. Collaboration on events, research projects, and the HIBAD project. The Osservatorio 'Life Science Innovation' of Politecnico di Milano works with Advice Pharma on digital medicine topics.
• BiorepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Digital for Clinical Day events along with Advice Pharma and Sapio Group. BioRep is a company of Sapio Group specializing in biotech services supporting the HIBAD project.
• IQVIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQVIA representatives participate in Advice Pharma events. IQVIA Italy supported the 'Innovazione nella gestione dei dati della ricerca' online meeting organized with Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza.
• HomeperfminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench homecare company with headquarters in Aix-en-Provence, also part of Sapio Group. Present in the same Paris office as Advice Pharma, establishing basis for future collaboration on French territory.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IQVIA: Global CRO and clinical research technology leader. IQVIA is explicitly mentioned as a partner in Advice Pharma events and offers competing EDC/RTSM and decentralized trial capabilities at vastly greater scale, making it the closest broad incumbent benchmark.
• ICON plc: Large global CRO delivering clinical research and laboratory services across therapeutic areas. Competes with Advice Pharma for clinical trial execution and data management work but at substantially larger scale.
• Parexel International: Global CRO offering clinical trial services, biostatistics, and regulatory consulting to pharma and biotech. Comparable as a full-service CRO competitor in the same addressable pharma sponsor market.

Direct peers

• Medidata Solutions (Dassault Systèmes): Provider of the Medidata Rave EDC/CTMS/eCOA platform for clinical trials. Directly competes with Advice Pharma's ICE eCRF product in electronic data capture and clinical data management for decentralized studies.
• Veeva Systems: Cloud-based life sciences platform including Vault CDB/CTMS for clinical data and trial management. Overlaps with Advice Pharma's CRO services and clinical data management software in serving pharma sponsors.
• Castor EDC: Electronic Data Capture platform purpose-built for decentralized and hybrid clinical trials with integrated ePRO/eCOA and patient consent. A direct EDC peer to ICE eCRF, focused on similar decentralised trial use cases.

Emerging players

• Click Therapeutics: Digital therapeutics company developing prescription SaMD for chronic conditions. Comparable to Advice Pharma's DTx development pipeline (including obesity and CKD products) in targeting regulatory-grade software therapeutics.
• Wellthy Therapeutics: Digital therapeutics company focused on chronic disease management, including a CE-marked SaMD for cardiovascular risk. Operates in the same EU DTx regulatory ecosystem as Advice Pharma's DTxO and KidneYou programs.
• Clinerion: Healthcare data analytics and real-world evidence company serving pharma sponsors with patient identification and clinical data infrastructure. Closely comparable to the HiBAD biobank and RWE/data ambitions.

Regional players

• CROMSOURCE: European-headquartered mid-size CRO providing clinical research services across Europe and North America. Comparable as a similarly sized regional CRO peer operating in the European clinical trial market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/advicepharmacom
• Facebookfacebook.com/advicepharmacom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advice-pharma

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advice Pharma