The Canadian biotech ecosystem post-Covid
Andrew Casey sees a bright future for Canadian biotech (330 words, 2 min)
Throughout the Covid pandemic, the Pharma industry and government bodies have strengthened their relationships. This represents an opportunity to open further discussions between stakeholders and a chance for Pharma to demonstrate its strategic value, said Andrew Casey, President and CEO of BIOTECanada.
“We’re not entirely out of Covid yet, but we can start to envision what a post-Covid world looks like,” said Casey (photo below) during the 15th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress.
“Today, we have four effective vaccines. Clearly the industry delivered. We are getting back to normalcy and things are optimistic. So it makes sense to take stock and see where we are going.”
“The Canadian biotech ecosystem has continued to flourish and grow,” Casey pointed out.
“We’ve seen record IPOs and financings, and fantastic developments in the industry. Government has a greater appreciation for the advantage it can gain by investing heavily in the biotech space. They want to develop in-house or domestic biomanufacturing capacity.”
During the pandemic there has been significant investment in Pharma companies, particularly Sanofi Pasteur and Moderna, he said. As well, Canada’s National Research Council’s facility in Montreal has been expanded to accommodate vaccine manufacture locally.
“A greater appreciation for the sector and what it can deliver can play a role in the economic rebuild,” said Casey.
“Government needs to look at the ecosystem, building on existing strengths, expertise, and investments they’ve already made in the sector, and work to leverage those existing strengths to build something bigger going forward,” said Casey.
Further efforts from government bodies to rebuild partnerships with multinational Pharma companies are needed, he said. Casey noted that the global pharmaceutical industry has a role in developing the Pharma sector in Canada.
“We have an opportunity coming out of this,” Casey said. “Industry is in a better position than it’s ever been in terms of government appreciating its strategic value. The key is to rebuild that partnership, leverage the existing investments, and get to a stronger place.”
Further Reading: BIOTECanada is working closely with the federal government on various policy issues that affect Pharma—read their latest statement on the implementation delay for changes to the PMPRB.
SAVE THE DATE
The 2022 NPC Winter Webinar is fast approaching! This year’s Winter Webinar is dedicated to a celebration of the career of Roche Canada’s Ronnie Miller, a long-time NPC mainstay and a champion of the Life Sciences in Canada.
Join us in congratulating Ronnie on his retirement, and mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 9th at 10:45 am.
Want to share your best wishes for Ronnie? Leave a note on the Kudoboard.
THIS WEEK 01/25/22
Pfizer announced that Health Canada has authorized the use of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults who are at high risk of severe disease, hospitalization or death. Nirmatrelvir, a new main protease (Mpro) inhibitor, was developed specifically to prevent the action of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, an enzyme required for the coronavirus to replicate.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, announced, that they received U.S. FDA approval on its New Drug Application (NDA) for Ryaltris (mometasone and olopatadine). Ryaltris is a novel, fixed- dose, prescription nasal spray for the treatment of symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis patients over the age of 12.
Idorsia Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Quviviq (daridorexant), 25 mg and 50 mg, for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia. The approval of Quviviq is based on clinical research that included 1,854 adults with insomnia at 160 clinical trial sites in 18 countries.
Seegene Inc., a South Korean molecular diagnostics company, announced the upcoming launch of the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay, which can deliver PCR results in 60 minutes. According to the company, this assay will shorten total turnaround time by one-third and increase testing capacity by three times for hospitals and laboratories without requiring new instruments or compromising accuracy.
LISTEN NOW
Danny Goldman, Head of Strategy and Portfolio Operations of Sanofi Genzyme Canada, talks about his unique perspective to the patient journey, the need for cancer patient mentorship and adapting to virtual work practices.
He joins our co-hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain, in the third episode of our sixth season.
CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME
The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002 to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our vocation and inspire others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee’s view, they stand for a representative cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. Each week, NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honouree.
2014 Inductee
Kathryn Raymond
Pickering, Ont.
As a registered nurse who worked with family physicians early in her career, Kathryn Raymond observed pharmaceutical sales representatives in action. After about a decade practising as a nurse, she found herself part of a pharmaceutical sales force in 1984 at Sterling Winthrop involved in therapeutic areas such as women’s health, gastroenterology, and radiology. She called on general practitioners and, later on, hospitals.
Eventually, she focused on continuing medical education (CME), where she had a zeal for her work. “It was an opportunity to get to know physicians better, working on presentations with them for lunch and learn conferences, for example,” explains Raymond. In 1995, she joined the CME department at Boehringer Ingelheim in Burlington, Ont. She became department leader and in her five years there, her therapeutic focal points included neurology and respirology.
“The nice thing about being in education is looking at how you can serve the needs of the audience,” says Raymond. “The reason we [in the pharmaceutical industry] are in education is for health professionals to realize better outcomes for their patients. Continuing education is so important because research is constantly changing and information needs to get out to physicians.”
Raymond moved to Purdue Pharma in Pickering, Ont. in 2000 where she had a mandate to establish a healthcare education team and produce accredited continuing health education (CHE) programs. Raymond built the CHE department to a team of four in her first three years and to six people after a decade. CME transitioned to CHE because educational content was being delivered not only to physicians but also to other healthcare professionals including nurses and pharmacists, she says.
“Measuring success in CHE has always been a challenge,” says Raymond. “More and more, we want to know if we change behaviours of healthcare professionals. We want to know what is the value of education. We want to know what healthcare professionals are doing differently after attending a CHE program.”
Chronic pain CHE was a particular focus at Purdue Pharma where analgesic therapies are one aspect of the company, recalls Raymond. The programs were designed to instruct physicians on how to assess chronic pain using tools like the brief pain inventory and tailor treatment according to a patient’s needs and goals.
“Doctors struggle with treating chronic pain,” says Raymond. “It’s difficult for family physicians to deal with a patient’s chronic pain in a short office visit. It’s important that physicians understand a patient’s pain before they embark on a treatment plan.”
Raymond has received positive feedback about CHE programs that she was pivotal in developing. “Physicians have said the way they practice pain medicine in Canada has changed after attending programs facilitated at Purdue Pharma. That was rewarding to hear.”
NEXT WEEK
In the 02/01 edition of the NPC Healthbiz Weekly, more from the powerhouse panels of the 15th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress. It’s easy to get your no-charge subscription and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Stay safe, stay sure, and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next week.