Montreal, March 30, 2007 – BIOMEDEX, the pre-eminent annual meeting of Canada’s life science industry took place this year in Laval, at the Sheraton Hotel, on Thursday, March 29 2007. BIOMEDEX, which is simultaneously a conference, a business meeting and a trade fair, attracted more than 500 participants this year, who came from across Canada, the United States and Europe. The event is organized by BIOQuebec, Quebec’s network of biotechnology companies.
On Wednesday, March 28, a cocktail was held to open the conference at the InterContinental Montréal Hotel. For the occasion, BIOQuebec invited Mr. Larry Smith, President and CEO of the Montreal Alouettes football team, who came to deliver a rousing motivational talk, a real coach’s pep talk, to the assembled participants.
Speakers
Without a doubt, the highlight of this year’s event was the presence of Dr. Kary Mullis, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and inventor of the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), who spoke to the audience about innovation in life science companies, taking as an example the PCR story. PCR is a process that is recognized today as one of the major scientific techniques developed in the Twentieth Century. It provides a way to multiply one single microscopic fragment of genetic material millions of times, in only a few hours. Dr. Mullis’ presentation evoked the aura of young biotechnology companies, challenges as a spur to innovation and the need to preserve and nurture creativity.
A Three-Part Program
BIOMatch
The BIOMatch segment, which deals with financing and managing life science companies, was an unparalleled opportunity for biotechnology and medical technology companies to present their products to investors and pharmaceutical companies. Distinguished speakers, such as Jean-Marc Séquier, Global Business Development & Licensing, Head Mature Products, Partnering and Project Management, Novartis Pharma AG of Switzerland, and Simon Gill, Managing Director and Co-Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, in the United States, also spoke during this segment. Challenges and Issues
The session: Challenges and issues related to the image of big pharma enabled the participants to better grasp the strategies and new means of communications that can be put into place to better respond to the public’s concerns. PricewaterhouseCoopers disclosed the findings of a survey on this very subject. Amongst the speakers: Geoff Collett, Director of Business Development at AstraZeneca Canada, and Jacques Lefebvre, Vice-President of Strategic Affairs and Communications at Rx&D Canada.
Marketing on-line was also discussed, that is to say, how new technology can be integrated into a pharmaceutical company’s marketing strategy. Amongst the speakers, we might mention: Ray Chepesiuk, Commissioner, Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board, (PAAB), Canada, Paul Bergeron, Executive Vice-President and Managing Director at LXB Communication-Marketing, and Dean Michelin, Director of Client Services at Boom Works Enterprises, Canada.
Technology Transfer
The last segment dealt with the whole question of technology transfer with a presentation of new technologies that have emerged from Quebec and French universities, as well as a conference dealing with the methods used in this kind of transfer in the industry. The speakers included notably Erik Kuja, Senior Principal, Strategic Alliances Group at the Research Technology Centre at Pfizer in the United States; Pierre Lemieux, President and CEO of BIOLactis Canada, Claudia Chagneau, biotechnology chargée de mission at the Agence Rhône-Alpes Technologies Médicales et Biotechnologies (ARTEB), in France, and Antoine Agathon, Ph.D., Project Manager, Alsace BioValley, France.
The pharmaceutical information company IMS Health Canada disclosed long awaited data on the drug product market in Canada and around the world.
Genesis Awards Gala
At the Genesis Awards Gala, which always takes place during BIOMEDEX, the jury honoured several companies and key actors in the life science milieu. Genesis Awards were presented to Paladin Laboratories (Entrepreneurship – Biotechnology – Biopharmaceutical); ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. (Entrepreneurship – Health Technology); Victhom Human Bionics (Innovation); Bioniche Life Sciences (Transfer – Emergence); and to the Infectious Disease Research Centre at Université Laval (Biotechnology for Tomorrow). The Genesis Brio Award was given to Mr. Jonathan Goodman, founding President and CEO of Paladin Laboratories. Finally, Dr. Michel Saucier, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, was inducted into the prestigious Excelcia Club. BIOQuebec is pleased to be able to count upon the participation of key partners who help put on BIOMEDEX: CHOATE, HALL & STEWART, PFIZER Canada and AstraZeneca Canada.
The complete program can be found at: www.biomedex.ca
Source: BIOQuebec
Information: www.bioquebec.com
www.biomedex.ca
Contact: Tammy Peddle • Press Relations
Tel: (514) 733-8411, ext. 203 or: tpeddle@bioquebec.com
