Boehringer Ingelheim readies launch of pharmaceutical social game

Boehringer Ingelheim has outlined its plans to launch the first pharmaceutical industry-oriented social game next month.

John Pugh, director of digital for Boehringer Ingelheim, told PSFK that he will introduce the new game Syrum at the PSFK Conference in London on September 13th 2012, with a beta trial of the game commencing on the same day.

Syrum allows players to run their own virtual pharmaceutical lab, creating new compounds and running clinical trials to cure diseases, while interacting with other players in various ways.

The game has been in development for two years and has been created in association with industry experts, with the aim of educating players about the pharmaceutical industry in a fun and engaging way.

Mr Pugh said: "I want Boehringer Ingelheim to stretch out beyond the traditional marketing activities because in pharmaceuticals, and particularly at Boehringer, we're still very traditional in what we do."

The company generated sales of 7.1 billion euros (5.62 billion pounds) during the first half of 2012, up by 6.8 percent year on year.