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FEATURES

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Update – CADTH-Industry Liaison Forum

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BIOTECanada brings industry perspective to Growing Forward 2

On June 17th, 2011, Mejda Lortie and Lynn Buchanan attended The Growing Forward 2 (GF2) engagement process aimed at the future of the Canadian agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products industry. This is an essential step in developing the next federal, provincial, territorial (FPT) policy framework, expected to take effect on April 1, 2013.

Growing Forward 2 will build on prior frameworks and dialogue arising from the first round of engagement held in 2010. It proposes to better position the sector for growth by capturing opportunities and addressing challenges needed to succeed in the future.

READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) invites industry and institutional stakeholders to a public consultation on the draft Recommendation for Assessing the Sustainability of Bio-based Products.

The need for the Recommendation was first highlighted during an expert workshop in 2009 examining policy and methodological issues related to measuring the sustainability of bio-based products.

READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page.

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NEW MEMBERS

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BIOTECanada is pleased to welcome our newest member companies to our community:

RepliCel Life Sciences is developing an autologous cell-based procedure for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness) and general hair loss in men and women. http://www.replicel.com/

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BDR Technologies is an Ottawa-based clean technology company that develops, designs and markets advanced biodiesel membrane reactor production systems for the global biodiesel industry. The company was established in June 2007 to commercialize the biodiesel membrane technology developed at the University of Ottawa.

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Del Mar Pharmaceuticals is developing new drug candidates targeting orphan cancer indications. www.delmarpharma.com

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MEMBER RECOGNITION

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Board of Directors of BIOTECanada welcomes new members at 2011 AGM

The Annual General Meeting of BIOTECanada was held on June 16th.  The meeting featured updates on association activities and achievements. A summary of these can be found in the members only section.  

In addition the meeting included appointments to the Board of Directors.  The association welcomes Kevin Leshuk, General Manager of Celgene Inc., David Main, President and CEO of Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Natalie Dakers, CEO of Centre for Drug Research and Development(CDRD), Thomas Schlader, General Manager, Valeant Canada Inc., and Alexander Marshall, President and Managing Director, Lanxess Inc.  These new Board members offer a wealth of perspective to the association as we frame the next generation of industry growth in Canada. 

On behalf of Brad Thompson, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board extends its thanks to the retiring members of the Board who lent their energy and dedication to the association over the past couple of years.  Their leadership in guiding the ongoing development of the association activities and focus was very valuable to the association staff.  Thank you to Ross MacLachlan, President and CEO, Lignol Energy Corp., Thomas Bailey, CFO Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc, and to Dr. Murray McLauglin, President and CEO, Sustainable Chemistry Alliance.

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EVENT HIGHLIGHT

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BIO 2011 Wrap Up

Washington D.C., hosted over 700 Canadians as part of the largest delegation attending BIO 2011. The official opening of the Canada Cafe with political representation from all levels of government featured a true Canadian tradition. Ambassador Doer, Premier of Nova Scotia Darrel Dexter, Minister Stelmach of Alberta, Minister Murray (ON), Minister Gignac (QC), Minister Chomiak (MB), Minister Norris (SK), Dr. Stilwell (BC), and Mayor McCallian from Mississauga joined together for the face off as a soy-based hockey puck was dropped representing the innovation of our industry. “It is inspiring to witness first hand the dedicated entrepreneurs behind these made-in Canada innovations,” commented Gary Doer, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States. “We look forward to shining a light on them and joining in their commercial achievements as they make an impact for this 21st century industry.”


“Having representatives from all three levels of government including two Premiers and five Ministers highlights the importance of our industry to the Canadian economy,” said Peter Brenders, President and CEO BIOTECanada. “With more than 7% of our national GDP being generated every year as a result of biotechnology development and use, all regions of Canada are realizing the benefits of this growth.”

The delegation continued on to the Canadian embassy where roundtable discussions explored the existing success in the industry, and explored possibilities for where success will be found in the years to come. A full report of the findings will be published in time for National Biotechnology Week (September 16 to 23), as we continue to showcase the industry to decision makers during our advocacy engagement.
On June 28th, in the Canada Café at the BIO International Convention, an audience of over 200 Canadian and International delegates celebrated the best in Canadian biotechnology at the annual Gold Leaf Awards presentation.   The presentation was followed by a reception hosted by BioQuébec, where delegates were able to meet the winners for 2011.

This year’s ceremony included the presentation of a new award for 2011, the Contribution to Canadian Communities. Presented to Sanofi Pasteur Limited, the company was recognized for their community programs and numerous charity initiatives that improve the lives of Canadians across Canada.

Also honoured this year was Allon Therapeutics Inc. for Early Stage Company of the Year – Health, Enwave Corporation for Early Stage Company of the Year – Industrial and Agriculture, Cardiome Pharma Corp. for Biotech Company of the Year, and Mr. Yves Rosconi for Industry Leadership.




The Contribution to the Association award was presented to Mr. Gordon Jans of PricewaterhouseCoopers at the BIOTECanada Annual General Meeting earlier this month.  Congratulations to all our 2011 award recipients!

Full details on the awards presentation and the winners can be found here.

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POLICY & COMMITTEE WATCH – Building the bio-economy

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VIC Highlighted as Key Partner at CPHA 2011 Conference

The Vaccine Industry Committee (VIC) actively showcased member companies and their many achievements/contributions to public health at the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) 2011 Conference in Montreal June 19-22.  The conference attracted over 900 attendees including public health professionals, researchers, policy-makers, industry representatives, academics and students from across the country and around the world.  Following the successful Centenary Conference last year in Toronto, CPHA is now entering its second century of service to Canadians.  The underlying theme of the conference plenary sessions and panels was the role of partnerships in creating the conditions in which people can lead flourishing lives and showcased innovative collective actions that support the maintenance and improvement of the health of populations.  Conference attendees discussed how partnerships can serve to bridge divides in the broad field of public health, as well as how they are conceived, developed, implemented and sustained.

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BIOTECanada Impacts Health Canada’s New Regulations on Extraordinary Use New Drugs

BIOTECanada was successful in its lobby to ensure that Health Canada’s approach to the regulations of Extraordinary Use New Drugs (EUNDs) remained consistent with that of other international regulators. The EUND Regulations will allow Health Canada to grant market authorization for drugs needed for emergency preparedness and to ensure that these drugs receive appropriate pre-market review and post-market follow-up.  Specifically, BIOTECanada was successful in its bid to ensure that existing regulations that apply to other drugs including, but not limited to, those regarding adverse drug reaction reporting, establishment licensing, good manufacturing practices and data and patent protection also apply to EUNDs. 

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CODEX Update

On Tuesday July 5th 2011, the United States dropped its long-standing objection to the labelling guidance document at the Geneva summit after debating the issue for 20 years, allowing it to move forward and become an official Codex text. The new Codex agreement means that any country wishing to adopt GM food labelling will no longer face the threat of a legal challenge from the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is because national measures based on Codex guidance or standards cannot be challenged as a barrier to trade.

The final version of the text on biotech food labeling adopted by the Commission is attached.  Most importantly, and as reported by a colleague from Monsanto, the text is not prescriptive and doesn’t introduce any new text specific to labeling of biotech foods and doesn’t have derogatory effect on biotech.

BIOTECanada will continue its long-standing support of the Canadian policy toward voluntary labelling of foods derived from biotechnology and oppose any attempt to establish mandatory labelling requirements or standards in Canada.

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BUSINESS SOLUTION OF THE MONTH

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