Executive Speeches

Speaking Notes for

Dawn Graham

President

Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.

Address to Rx&D/Industry Canada BIO 2009 Event

Biopartnering Canada:

Seizing the Life Sciences Opportunity

Atlanta, Georgia

May 19, 2009

Bonsoir.  Good evening everyone. 

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you this evening to our event.  I hope you are enjoying yourselves so far and taking advantage of the opportunity to meet with many of the leaders and decision makers that are important to your business in Canada.

On ne peut nier que nous vivons à une époque des plus intéressantes. Si j’ai appris une chose depuis que je suis présidente de Merck Frosst Canada, et plus récemment des Compagnies de recherche pharmaceutique du Canada, c’est que très peu de choses dans notre industrie restent les mêmes!

I don’t have to remind the folks in this room that as an industry, we are facing unprecedented challenges:

• our industry is no longer in the blockbuster era that we were in the 1980s/90s;
• our pipeline is less robust than it was 10-15 years ago;
• we are facing a patent cliff with an unprecedented number of very successful products coming off of patent and facing genericization;
• the credit crisis has reduced the available capital for small and start up biotech companies; and
• Canada is facing increased competition for investment from the emerging markets.

Yet, despite these challenges, I believe that Canada is poised to be a preeminent environment for a successful and thriving biopharmaceutical industry.

Why do I say that?

Well, we have excellent infrastructure and some of the best science in the world.  We also have tremendous support from our governments in Canada both at the Federal and Provincial levels.

At the Federal level, our government has announced more than 7 billion dollars in additional investments in science and technology over the last 2 budgets.  This is being used to strengthen our university infrastructure and our centres of excellence for commercialization and research. 

The federal government has also made investments in BDC to support firms in reaching their potential.

At the Provincial level we are also seeing policies that encourage and reward innovation such as BAP 15 in Quebec and the Biopharmaceutical Investment Program in Ontario.

These are all policies that foster innovation and have helped create a more competitive biopharmaceutical industry in Canada.

In fact, from my own company's experience, in the midst of a very recent major global R&D consolidation we strategically made a decision to keep one of the four remaining global basic research centres in Canada because of the strengths in this area that I just mentioned.

Ainsi, nous avons prouvé que nous pouvons y parvenir ensemble et ce que nous espérons c’est de continuer de développer ensemble l’économie du savoir au Canada. 

La concurrence au sein nos entreprises mondiales pour attirer les investissements en recherche et développement pharmaceutique est plus féroce que jamais et d’autres administrations améliorent constamment leur environnement respectif.

So we cannot pause and say that the job is done. We need to continue to work hard together and build on the successes we've had to remain competitive in this dynamic, global environment. 

We, Canada's Research Based Pharmaceutical Companies, are the hosts of this event because we are looking for partners - worldwide and in Canada:

• we are seeking partnerships with Canadians to improve access to innovative medicines in order to reduce the burden of illness;
• we are partnering with Bio start up companies to help the knowledge based economy and bridge research to commercialization; and
• we are partnering with Governments to increase and improve our competitiveness and attract more world class investments in research in Canada.

It is for these reasons we were very proud to be co-sponsoring this event with the Government of Canada.

And as this event is showing by its success, bringing the right partners together guarantees the right outcome.

Throughout this event tonight, participants will get to know each other, partner, and develop business relationships that will lead to even more progress and advances in our industry that will have a significant and positive impact for all Canadians.

For those newly formed partnerships to grow and generate the right outcome for Canadians and our economy, the Canadian Government and the Biopharmaceutical Industry are working together to develop a strong Biopharmaceutical Sector Strategy that will provide an opportunity for the nurturing of these partnerships.  

As your Industry partner, we remain committed to achieving this goal.

And now, I would like to call upon another very important partner in achieving this goal.

Tony Clement has been playing a prominent role within Canada’s government, as Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for FedNor. In this role, his responsibilities stretch from the auto sector, to economic development in Ontario’s communities, to setting the economic conditions for productivity and competitiveness across Canada.

First entering public life as MPP for Brampton South in 1995, Minister Clement served in a number of cabinet portfolios. He is well remembered for his leadership during the SARS crisis, which was recognized across the country, and was quickly acknowledged as a capable, committed and driven minister.

Ultimately he was elected in 2006 to represent the federal riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka and received his first portfolio as Minister of Health and Minister responsible for FedNor. Following the 2008 election, when he enjoyed a resounding victory in his riding, he assumed his current role of Minister of Industry. To this position he brought his great depth of knowledge, proven ability and record of accomplishment.

It gives me immense pleasure to welcome the Minister of Industry, the Honourable Tony Clement to say a few words. 

Minister…