September 2011 monthly reporter
September 2011
FEATURES
- Gearing up for Advocacy Day – Tuesday September 20
- Helix on the Hill – Monday September 19 (visit the members' only section)
- BIOTECanada SEB Task Force Update (visit the members' only section)
MEMBERS COMPANIES IN THE NEWS
- Zymeworks
- BioAmber
- Jennerex
MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
- SDTC Announces Latest Funding Round for Clean Technology
- BIO Ventures for Global Health (visit the members' only section)
POLICY & COMMITTEE WATCH – Building the bio-economy
- BIOTECanada Talks Flow-through Shares with the Office of the Minister of Finance (visit the members' only section)
- BIOTECanada Submits Comments on Ontario’s Proposed Evidence Building Program (visit the members' only section)
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- Canadian Companies at BioPharm America™
FEATURES
Gearing up for Advocacy Day – Tuesday September 20
As Parliamentarians return to Ottawa after summer months in
their constituency ridings, BIOTECanada will be bringing industry
leadership from all sectors of our technology community to spend time
with elected officials and key decision makers. This day is a featured
element of the 8th annual National Biotechnology Week running throughout
Canada September 16 to 23. We will be providing updates on the exciting
new developments from throughout the past year, from stem cell research
to new composite manufacturing, from environmental technologies to new
vaccines, we have some great stories to share.As we look to the next generation of economic growth with our industry we continue to seek opportunities to catalyze new technologies into the commercialization cycle as a solution for the challenges faced by traditional industries. This includes new manufacturing processes for the automotive and chemistry industries, environmental solutions for the forestry and resource industries, new sources of renewable energy, and successful innovative vaccine and health therapeutics meeting increased health care demands.
Top industry issues being brought forward:
- The climate for financing of our technologies here in Canada including the competitiveness of Canada’s SR&ED program
- The current Research and Development Review scheduled to report later this fall
- Need to capture the bio product sector into The Agricultural Federal Framework Growing Forward II
- Canada’s leadership for strengthening public healthcare
- The protection of intellectual property rights (right of appeal, regulatory data protection, data exclusivity, supplementary protection certificates), and operating environment
- Commitment to bio products through clear policies and regulatory frameworks for enable new technologies into the marketplace (industrial crops)
- The opportunity to establish a regulatory pathway for commercial
cultivation of plants for industrial purposes in order to encourage
research and investment in the Canadian bio product sector
We will be working with elected officials to ensure Canada remains a competitive place for investment as our company business models keep adapting to global competition. These areas are paramount to our focus on enhancing the determined efforts of innovative biotech leaders who are securing our collective future.
The arrival of a majority government offers the association the opportunity for long-term planning and engagement on strategic initiatives as we seek to secure our policy goals. We will be able to focus attention on key political leaders throughout the government caucus as they settle into their respective roles and establish champions able and willing to engage on issues on our behalf. This level of stability will be a refreshing environment for all stakeholders. We are looking forward to your participation.
Please contact cate.mccready@biotech.ca on how to get involved.
Helix on the Hill – Monday September 19
Contact us at info@biotech.ca for more information
READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page
READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page
SEB Task Force Continues Work to Ensure Safety and Optimal Health Outcomes for Patients
The
BIOTECanada SEB Task Force continued implementing the SEB Strategy to
Action Plan to ensure safety and optimal health outcomes for patients
using biologics. The group is driving a strong, harmonized regulatory
pathway, fair reimbursement policies and a high level of health care
professional and patient knowledge about biologics and SEBs.
READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page
MEMBERS COMPANIES IN THE NEWS
Zymeworks inks $187M Merck deal on bi-specific antibodies
Zymeworks' bi-specific antibodies are designed to bind to two different targets, making them effective against a pair of ailments such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. "Zymeworks' technology platform has the potential to provide a unique solution for engineering novel antibodies," said Richard Murray, senior vice president, biologics research at Merck.
"This is an important validation of our scientific leadership in the field of structure-guided protein engineering," Zymeworks' CEO Ali Tehrani said, "and we look forward to working with Merck to [realize] the full value of this novel platform technology across a range of therapeutic indications."
Read the full story here.
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Minneapolis, MN August 29, 2011 – BioAmber Inc., through its subsidiary Bluewater Biochemicals has selected Sarnia, Ontario, Canada as the location for its first North American biosuccinic acid plant. The Sarnia plant will have an initial capacity of 17,000 MT and will be commissioned in 2013. Permitting work for the plant was initiated in June 2011. BioAmber currently produces and sells biobased succinic acid at a 3,000 MT capacity plant in France.
Succinic acid is a renewable, non‐toxic specialty chemical that can be further modified to make a wide range of products including automotive parts, biodegradable coffee cup lids and disposable cutlery, spandex, shoe soles, ingredients for food, flavors and fragrances, cosmetics, construction materials, phthalate‐free plasticizers, engine coolants, salts that melt ice and snow and plastics used in various durable goods. BioAmber plans to double capacity in Sarnia by 2014 through the introduction of a next‐generation yeast being developed with Cargill. BioAmber also plans to produce 1,4‐Butanediol (BDO) on the site, using technology exclusively licensed from DuPont that converts succinic acid to BDO, a chemical with a $4 billion existing market. The goal is for the Sarnia plant to produce 35,000 MT of biosuccinic and 23,000 MT of biobased BDO at its peak.
BioAmber Announces Bio based Succinic Acid Plant in Ontario, Canada
Minneapolis, MN August 29, 2011 – BioAmber Inc., through its subsidiary Bluewater Biochemicals has selected Sarnia, Ontario, Canada as the location for its first North American biosuccinic acid plant. The Sarnia plant will have an initial capacity of 17,000 MT and will be commissioned in 2013. Permitting work for the plant was initiated in June 2011. BioAmber currently produces and sells biobased succinic acid at a 3,000 MT capacity plant in France.
Succinic acid is a renewable, non‐toxic specialty chemical that can be further modified to make a wide range of products including automotive parts, biodegradable coffee cup lids and disposable cutlery, spandex, shoe soles, ingredients for food, flavors and fragrances, cosmetics, construction materials, phthalate‐free plasticizers, engine coolants, salts that melt ice and snow and plastics used in various durable goods. BioAmber plans to double capacity in Sarnia by 2014 through the introduction of a next‐generation yeast being developed with Cargill. BioAmber also plans to produce 1,4‐Butanediol (BDO) on the site, using technology exclusively licensed from DuPont that converts succinic acid to BDO, a chemical with a $4 billion existing market. The goal is for the Sarnia plant to produce 35,000 MT of biosuccinic and 23,000 MT of biobased BDO at its peak.
MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
SDTC Announces Latest Funding Round for Clean Technology
The SD Tech Fund™ invests in late-stage development and pre-commercial demonstration of clean technologies by Canadian companies in a range of innovative solutions across all industries that address Climate Change, Clean Air, Water and Soil.
Talk to – sdtc.ca/applications or visit - sdtc.ca/workshops
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Connecting Biotech Innovation to Global Health Needs
Every year, neglected diseases kill millions of people in
poor countries. For some diseases, the tools that can prevent, diagnose,
and treat these diseases are inaccessible, outdated, unsafe, or
ineffective. For many other diseases, these tools have not yet been
created.
BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) was created to address this need. BVGH’s mission is to save lives by accelerating the development of novel drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics coming from the biotechnology industry that address the unmet medical needs of the developing world.
READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page
Connecting Biotech Innovation to Global Health Needs
BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) was created to address this need. BVGH’s mission is to save lives by accelerating the development of novel drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics coming from the biotechnology industry that address the unmet medical needs of the developing world.
READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page
POLICY & COMMITTEE WATCH – Building the bio-economy
BIOTECanada Talks Flow-through Shares with the Office of the Minister of Finance
In the latest round of discussions with the Department of
Finance, BIOTECanada held an in-person meeting on August 3rd with the
policy team of the Office of the Minister of Finance to discuss the
merits of the association’s flow-through shares initiative. Industry
representatives included Rick Sutin and Len Farber, Senior Partner and
Senior Advisor, respectively, at Norton Rose LLP, along with Gibril
Muddei, Manager, Policy and Research at BIOTECanada. BIOTECanada Submits Comments on Ontario’s Proposed Evidence Building Program
On July 29th BIOTECanada submitted written comments on the proposed Evidence Building Program (EBP) in Ontario. The written submission follows the face-to-face meeting industry members attended on June 29, 2011. BIOTECanada supports the overriding principles outlined by the Ontario Public Drug Programs (OPDP) and highlighted the following recommendations, which our members believe require further consideration by OPDP.
READ MORE: log in the members' only section, monthly reporter page
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Canadian Companies at BioPharm America™
This key North American partnering event brings together senior international executives from venture capital firms, major pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and biotechnology companies of every size from mature to start-up.
With 30 countries and over 2500 one-to-one partnering meetings occurring annually, BioPharm America has become a central hub for global life science firms to develop the partnerships that lead to tomorrow’s medical innovations.
BIOTECanada is pleased to encourage Canadian business development by working with the Consulate General of Canada on the Canadian Biotechnology Partnering Mission to Boston. Canadian companies working on drug development, including therapeutics and vaccines were invited to apply to become one of ten organizations selected for one-on-one coaching with the professional consultants and the arrangement of meetings with technology partners and venture capitalists. Companies chosen for this initiative were also able to benefit from discounts on registration and partnering.
In addition, participants were invited to a networking dinner on Tuesday September 6th arranged by the Consulate General of Canada in cooperation with BIOTECanada. This exclusive event was sponsored by Canadian law firm Torys and U.S. law firm Burns & Levinson. Thank you to both firms for supporting this excellent initiative.
