Beyond Moose and Mountains initiative focuses on building Canada's business and regulatory environment

At its 2010 annual general meeting in Montreal yesterday, the national biotechnology association, BIOTECanada, confirmed a national team of industry leaders, whose expertise will ensure Canada keeps growing what today is an $84 billion bio-economy.

“BIOTECanada would also like to thank retiring board members for their service and dedication to the industry. Our volunteer Board of Directors is an active group with expertise across all sectors of biotechnology, representing both small and large biotechnology companies in Canada.”

The cross-sectoral team comes from companies across the country involved in industrial, agricultural, and health biotechnology including: crop DNA modification, animal health technologies, vaccines, oncology, cardiology, HIV/AIDS, depression, blood diseases, chronic pain, diabetes, and a range of serious conditions. The following new directors joined the board:

• Michel Fortin, President & CEO, Prevtec Microbia, Montreal
• Greg Gubitz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & General Counsel, Biovail Corporation, Mississauga
• Ed Gudaitis, General Manager, Gilead Sciences Canada, Mississauga
• Doug Janzen, President & CEO, Cardiome Pharma Corp., Vancouver
• Ron Keefe, President & CEO, BioVectra Inc., Charlottetown
• Mark Lievonen, President, Sanofi Pasteur Limited, Toronto
• Greg Penner, President & CEO, NeoVentures Biotechnology, London
• Andrew Potter, CEO & Director, VIDO-InterVac, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
• Wayne Quigley, President & General Manager, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Montreal
• Lyndal Walker, Vice President & General Manager, Abraxis BioScience Inc., Mississauga

With a mandate to develop Canada's biotechnology industry, the Board of Directors leads the association in implementing the recommendations of the industry strategy, Beyond Moose and Mountains. The strategy focuses on building Canada's business and regulatory environment; increasing access to capital; and ensuring human resource needs are met - all as biotechnology is poised to lead economic growth in Canada's energy, natural resource, agriculture, and health sectors. More information on this initiative is available at: www.beyondmooseandmountains.ca

"The association is pleased to welcome these knowledgeable leaders, whose recognized achievements within the industry will bring formidable expertise to our board," said Chair of the Board, Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Calgary's Oncolytics Biotech Inc. "BIOTECanada would also like to thank retiring board members for their service and dedication to the industry. Our volunteer Board of Directors is an active group with expertise across all sectors of biotechnology, representing both small and large biotechnology companies in Canada."

"The Association has been a key leader on critical industry files including market access for biologics, and biotech product pricing in 2009. As a board member I look forward to taking part in shaping the continued growth of Canada's bio-economy," said Doug Janzen, President and CEO of Vancouver's Cardiome Pharma Corp.

"As we face a new wave of technological innovation across agri-business and industrial and environmental biotechnologies, I am pleased to join this pan-Canadian group of industry leaders in raising awareness of the value our technologies bring to Canada's future," said Greg Penner, President and CEO of NeoVentures Biotechnology, an innovative agricultural biotechnology firm from London, Ontario.

"Continued collaboration and dialogue between industry, public health, research organizations and universities remains critical to driving Canada's vaccine adoption and continued development, "said Andrew Potter, CEO and Director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization - International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac). "I look forward to collaborating with fellow board members on growing our immunization potential."