Biotech Policy Briefing
Can biotechnology put patients’ needs ahead of profits?
These are challenging dilemmas for a government that gutted a suite of policies designed to cap excessive drug prices, and that ‘waxed lyrical’ about the importance of accelerating vaccine access worldwide, then failed to support an intellectual property waiver that would expand global production of COVID-19 vaccines.
Seizing the moment: building Canada’s academic leadership into a commercial powerhouse
Too much high-quality research is failing to make it out of laboratories to the benefit of patients and the Canadian economy.
New safety guidance sets up corporate self-regulation of GMOs
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency both recently updated their guidance on regulating genetically engineered foods and seeds.
Biotech sector is having a generational moment in Canada
It is not possible to predict what or when the next global health challenge will be, or what solutions will be needed.
Canada’s place in the world of biotechnology research and application is in jeopardy
Government of Canada funded scholarships and fellowships are the primary sources of income for many biotechnology researchers. To stem the brain-drain, Canada must significantly increase the value and number of graduate student scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships and to index them to the cost of living.
Genomics can both grow and green Canada’s economy
Genomic technologies can help ensure Canada’s place as a leading source of the materials needed for a low-carbon economy.
Big money to scale up our most promising, young companies often from the United States
And many of the most promising early-stage companies that go public do so on American, not Canadian, stock exchanges, where they can quickly fall under the control of U.S. private equity.
Canada’s life sciences sector has come a long way
Canada’s life sciences sector has a long and impressive history of international leadership: we invented the world’s first pacemaker, discovered insulin, first identified stem cells, and the list goes on. We have world-leading health institutions and incubators, recognized leadership in pharmaceuticals and medical devices and thriving expertise clusters. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our […]
Biotechnology, statistics, collaboration, and the pursuit of the future
Canada has embraced the potential for biotechnology to revolutionize modern life. Substantial investments are being made in biotechnology in a range of fields including health care, the environment, agriculture, aquaculture, and sustainable development. Biotechnology is a strong contributor to the Canadian innovation economy and Canada places highly in international rankings of biotechnology development. However, capitalizing […]
