Biotechnology Advocacy & Policy
BIOTECanada and our members are dedicated to informing Canadian decision-makers of the bio-economy. Growing the industry requires integrated public policy within multiple levels of government. Working in partnership with regional organizations and partners, BIOTECanada leads an ongoing dialogue to create science-based policy and increase awareness of biotechnology.
Hill Times Policy Briefing
Excerpt from Life Sciences Policy Briefing
Intellectual Property
By Chris Plecash, The Hill Times, Monday September 10, 2012
Canada's pharmaceutical and biotechnological research sectors say proposed changes to the country's intellectual property regime will foster innovation and attract investment, but the generic drug and regenerative medicine sectors warn that the changes could have unintended consequences for the cost and quality of medicine in Canada.
"We need to be as good as, if not better, than all those other jurisdictions when it comes to protecting intellectual property," BIOTECanada President Andrew Casey said of proposals to strengthen Canada's intellectual property (IP) regime. "This deal will raise Canada to that level." The federal government is currently weighing three changes to Canada's intellectual property regime as part of its free trade negotiations with the European Union. The changes would increase the patent-related data protection term from eight years to 10, provide patent holders with the right to appeal an overturned patent, and introduce a patent term restoration framework to compensate applicants for time lost during the patent approval process.
Mr. Casey, whose association represents 250 biotechnology firms from across the country, said that the changes would give investors the certainty to invest in research and development of life science innovations in Canada.
"If capital sees some certainty here in terms of protection of the property, then they're more likely to come here. If it looks like we're disadvantaged compared to other countries, then the capital is going to migrate to those sectors elsewhere and we're going to lose out," Mr. Casey cautioned. "That's important to the large companies, but it's [even] more important for the smaller ones who have a bigger challenge accessing capital."
Excerpt from Life Sciences Policy Briefing
Jenkins Report
By Chris Plecash, The Hill Times, Monday September 10, 2012
Mr. Goodyear said that federal government's response to the report illustrates how important innovation is to public policy.
"That's just an indicator of how serious the Prime Minister takes the issue of improving innovation, and the Prime Minister takes the issue of improving innovation, and the Prime Minister takes the issue of improving innovation, and the Prime Minister himself has said that science powers commerce," Mr. Goodyear said. "This is an area where we need to shore up. It's not at the expense of another area - it's in addition to, and it's an area where we know the country could use the support. That's why we are making the changes we are."
While the government has taken several steps to increase the number of Canadian innovations that reach the marketplace, Mr. Goodyear conceded that it will take time for the changes to produce results.
"It will take a few years to be able to accurately assign positive numbers to such metrics as innovativeness of the nation, or better, productivity levels," he said.
Andrew Casey, President and CEO of biotech industry association BIOTECanada, approved of the government's approach to promoting private sector innovation, but added that he was hopeful the government would develop a sector-specific policy framework for the life sciences sector.
"When you look at what's happening with the industry over the years, we have about eight departments that are responsible for various parts of the industry, and yet there's no sort of central planning of it all," Mr. Casey observed. "We'd like to work with government to find a way to bring all those threads together and make a cloth of it so that there's an overall strategy behind the industry and its growth and its health."
Response to Jenkins Report
Anthony Giovinazzo, Chair of BIOTECanada's Emerging Companies Advisory Board and Peter Brenders, President and CEO of BIOTECanada have co-signed our response to the Expert Panel on Research and Development. Read it here.
Together with the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters along with others we have signed onto a letter for Minister Goodyear concerning the recommendations from the recent Expert Panel on Research and Development. Read it here.
Industry Financing - Pre-budget 2012 consultations
A submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to create sustainable long-term economic growth in Canada. Download the submission here.
John Hyshka, CFO Phenomenome presented to the Standing Committee on FInance. Download his remarks here.
