Thailand to Keep Generic Drugs Scheme: Minister

Thailand’s new health minister said today he would keep the country’s controversial generic drugs program but stopped short of saying whether the new government would expand the scheme. The army-backed government in Thailand already overrode patents for popular heart drug Plavix and two key AIDS medicines — Kaletra and Efavirenz — and was planning to expand the program to include cancer drugs.

Source: Pharmalive.com

More Americans Are Using More Prescription Drugs

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)- More U.S. adults are taking prescription drugs than ever before, fueling $12 billion in additional spending during 2006 alone. The number of people with at least one prescription increased from 67% to 74% between 2000 and 2006, according to a new Geographic Variation in Prescription Utilization study by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts. The number of prescriptions per person rose to 14.3 from 10.8 in 2000 - a 32 percent jump.

The study correlates the climb in increased spending for antidiabetic and antihypertensive prescription drugs with rising obesity rates. The top five states (West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas) in the study’s ranking of per capita spending increases for drug classes linked to obesity were also the states with the top five obesity rates, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The $12 billion in additional spending in 2006 would have been much greater had the nation not increased its use of lower cost generic drugs from 40% to 58% over the intervening years,” explains Emily Cox, senior director of research for Express Scripts. “In fact, greater use of generic drugs still has significant potential for managing prescription drug costs. The key will be using an advanced understanding of the consumer to get more people to choose generics.”

Conducted within the commercially insured market, the study evaluated overall prescription drug use, analyzing commonly prescribed therapy classes to highlight national and state-by-state trends. Medications from four of the seven therapy classes evaluated are frequently used to treat conditions associated with obesity and related chronic conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. These four therapy classes include antihyperlipidemics, antidiabetics, antihypertensives and gastrointestinal (GI) medications. Also studied were analgesics/anti-inflammatories, antidepressants and estrogen.

The state-by-state analysis found that overall usage and rates of increase varied significantly across geographic regions with the South experiencing the highest utilization and greatest increase in use.

Source: BusinessWire

Drug Ads to Get More FDA Scrutiny

By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY

The Food and Drug Administration’s current budget for reviewing consumer drug advertisements is larger than in the previous five years combined.

But whether that level of funding will be sustained and continue to come from taxpayers - or will be raised from drugmakers through new user fees - is likely to be battled out in Congress as it addresses future FDA funding.

The FDA received $6.1 million for the current fiscal year to check the fairness and accuracy of consumer drug ads. That’s up from $2.2 million the previous year and $1 million the year before.

The FDA says it plans to hire more people so it can review more ads. It has 13 workers devoted to policing direct-to-consumer ad materials. Six are primary reviewers. Last year, the FDA received 12,616 drug ad materials directed to consumers.

The FDA has long been so overwhelmed by drug industry ad materials that only a “small portion” is reviewed, the Government Accountability Office said in a 2006 report. The FDA often didn’t declare consumer ads false or misleading until after ad campaigns were over, the GAO said.

The boost in 2008 funds came after Congress approved user fees for drug ad reviews, but the program wasn’t launched amid funding issues and opposition from some lawmakers, including Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who chairs a subcommittee overseeing FDA funds.

President Bush seeks to resurrect the fees. The proposed 2009 budget he sent to Congress this month calls for $14 million from fees to fund 27 FDA positions devoted to the consumer-ad-review program. In exchange, the FDA would review TV drug ads within 45 days of getting them from drugmakers - which is faster than many reviews occur now - and before the ads are seen by millions of viewers.

The drugmakers’ trade association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, supports user fees. Timely FDA review would help drugmakers meet marketing goals and lessen the risk of running ads later cited by the FDA for false or misleading content.

The FDA can recommend changes in an ad it considers misleading. Drugmakers can be fined if they run ads without changes.

The FDA already collects user fees for reviews of new human and animal drugs and medical devices. In Bush’s proposed budget, a quarter of the FDA’s funds would come from fees paid by industries the FDA regulates.

DeLauro is likely to continue to be a staunch opponent. “I believe Congress should provide a direct appropriation in order to minimize industry influence in the FDA,” she says.

Source: USA Today

Paying Patients Test British Health Care System

By SARAH LYALL

LONDON - Created 60 years ago as a cornerstone of the British welfare state, the National Health Service is devoted to the principle of free medical care for everyone. But recently it has been wrestling with a problem its founders never anticipated: how to handle patients with complex illnesses who want to pay for parts of their treatment while receiving the rest free from the health service.

Although the government is reluctant to discuss the issue, hopscotching back and forth between private and public care has long been standard here for those who can afford it. But a few recent cases have exposed fundamental contradictions between policy and practice in the system, and tested its founding philosophy to its very limits.

One such case was Debbie Hirst’s. Her breast cancer had metastasized, and the health service would not provide her with Avastin, a drug that is widely used in the United States and Europe to keep such cancers at bay. So, with her oncologist’s support, she decided last year to try to pay the $120,000 cost herself, while continuing with the rest of her publicly financed treatment.

By December, she had raised $20,000 and was preparing to sell her house to raise more. But then the government, which had tacitly allowed such arrangements before, put its foot down. Mrs. Hirst heard the news from her doctor.

“He looked at me and said: ‘I’m so sorry, Debbie. I’ve had my wrists slapped from the people upstairs, and I can no longer offer you that service,’ ” Mrs. Hirst said in an interview.

“I said, ‘Where does that leave me?’ He said, ‘If you pay for Avastin, you’ll have to pay for everything’ ” - in other words, for all her cancer treatment, far more than she could afford.

Officials said that allowing Mrs. Hirst and others like her to pay for extra drugs to supplement government care would violate the philosophy of the health service by giving richer patients an unfair advantage over poorer ones.

Patients “cannot, in one episode of treatment, be treated on the N.H.S. and then allowed, as part of the same episode and the same treatment, to pay money for more drugs,” the health secretary, Alan Johnson, told Parliament.

“That way lies the end of the founding principles of the N.H.S.,” Mr. Johnson said.

Read the full report from the New york Times

FDA Plans Regulators in China

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced plans Friday to place regulators in China, pending approval from the Chinese government.

The agency said the State Department had approved a plan to establish eight full-time, permanent FDA positions at U.S. diplomatic posts in China. The FDA also plans to hire five Chinese employees to work with the FDA at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

“Our efforts to fill permanent FDA positions in China are a significant step toward ensuring access to safe food, drugs and medical devices in the global market,” said Murray M. Lumpkin, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for international and special programs.

Over the past year, U.S. regulators have recalled a number of contaminated products, including toothpaste, pet food and the blood thinner heparin, made in China.

FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said last month that the FDA must make major changes to keep up with complex global markets that mean more and more U.S. food and medicine is produced abroad.

© 2008 The Associated Press

Read the full report from the Associated Press

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News from PAAB

Learn the regulations and guidelines that embody the pharmaceutical industry’s commitment to the highest standard of professional conduct. Pharmahorizons is the authorized training partners of the PAAB and Rx&D.

PAAB will be holding national open workshops on May 14, 2008 in Toronto and on May 22 in Montreal.
Title: PAAB Code: Strategies, Tools and Techniques to Speed Approval of Your Submission

For more information, click here.

News from Montreal InVivo

Montreal is Canada’s largest life science cluster. Each month, Pharmahorizons will showcase news, trends and events in the greater Montreal area.

Montréal InVivo Life Sciences Career Fair

Don’t miss this annual career fair targetted specifically for Quebec’s Life Sciences industry!
For employers interested in attending this event (sponsoring, renting a booth, adverstising), contact Andrew Gregory at 1-877-751-9415 for details.

Whether you want to host a booth or find your ideal job, this career fair will keep you in touch with the life sciences community. Free for candidates, no registration required. Just show up and don’t forget to bring your CV’s.

Atrium refocuses its operations on the health and nutrition sector

Atrium Innovations Inc. (Quebec City) disclosed its annual financial results and also reconfirmed the strategic refocusing of its business operations. Atrium intends to concentrate its operations uniquely in the health and nutrition sector and, consequently, has decided to divest its Active Ingredients & Specialty Chemicals Division. This decision, which was made in the best interest of both divisions, follows a strategic re-evaluation process of the AI & SC Division initiated by the Company on December 18, 2007. It became clear that focusing on one sector would be the best option for Atrium to optimize its future development and profitability.

http://www.atrium-innov.com

Why some carriers don’t get sick

A Canada-U.S. research team has solved a major genetic mystery: How a protein in some people’s DNA guards them against killer immune diseases such as HIV. In an advance online edition of Nature Medicine, the scientists explain how the protein, FOX03a, shields against viral attacks and how the discovery will help in the development of a HIV vaccine. “HIV infection is characterised by the slow demise of T-cells, in particular central memory cells, which can mediate lifelong protection against viruses,” said lead researcher Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, a Université de Montréal professor and a researcher at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and the French Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm). “Our group has found how the key protein, FOX03a, is vital to the survival of central memory cells that are defective in HIV-infected individuals even if they are treated,” added Dr. Sékaly www.chumontreal.qc.ca

Source: Life Sciences News Briefs © 2008, prepared by Armar International for the Life Sciences Branch of Industry Canada (contact: Louise Leduc Tel: (613) 954-4715; E-mail: Leduc.Louise@ic.gc.ca).

Jewish General launches surgical robotics program

MONTREAL - Surgeons at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital (JGH) have entered into the new age of cutting-edge surgery with the arrival of its first da Vinci surgical robot, taking the JGH to the forefront of treating prostate and gynaecological cancers.

Robotic surgery allows for unprecedented surgical precision, translating into shorter operation times, less blood loss, and a decrease in possible complications.

“It has become increasingly evident that prostatectomies performed with robotic technology lead to a significant decrease in incidence of sexual dysfunction and incontinence improving the daily lives of our patients,” said Dr. Jacques Corcos (pictured), Director of the Robotics Program and Chief of the Department of Urology at the Jewish General Hospital.

“This knowledge is based on current research being conducted at the JGH, and is part of a larger design, a Robotics Program in affiliation with all six of Quebec’s universities.”

There are approximately 700 surgical robots in use throughout the world, 500 located in the United States alone, where all JGH surgeons received their training and where 70% of prostatectomies are conducted using a surgeon-assisted robot.

There are few surgical robots in Canada - in London, Ont., in Vancouver, Edmonton, and now in Montreal. The latest generation is quite distinguished from existing models, with the addition of a high-definition monitor which allows for exceptional vision and a fourth arm, enabling the physician to carry out precise surgical movements with ease.

Under the direction of Dr. Jacques Corcos, the JGH Robotics Program will allow for surgical advances in urological and gynaecological cancers, and other specialties including digestive and cardiac surgeries.

Working in collaboration with surgeons in Canada, the United States and Europe are Dr. Maurice Anidjar specializing in urology, Dr. Walter H. Gotlieb and Dr. Susie Lau specializing in gynaecological cancers, Dr. Togas Tulandi, specializing in infertility, Dr. Jacob Garzon and Dr. Shannon Fraser specializing in surgeries of the digestive system, and Dr. Yves Langlois specializing in cardiac surgery.

Their collaboration with national and international robotic centres enables the population of Quebec to benefit from otherwise costly medical treatment.

According to Henri Elbaz, Executive Director of the JGH, “The arrival of the da Vinci system marks our latest success in making the Jewish General Hospital a focal point for the best medical technology and the most up-to-date facilities in the province.”

Source: Canadian Healthcare Technology
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Generics Capture 65% of U.S. Market as Costs Rise

Presidential Candidates Support Rise of Generics and Products from Canada

By Catherine Larkin

(Bloomberg) — Two-thirds of prescriptions filled in the U.S., the most ever, are cheap copies of brand names made by generic-drug companies.

Generics accounted for 65 percent of the U.S. market last year, up from 63 percent in 2006, according to data released today at the Generic Pharmaceutical Association’s annual industry meeting in Boca Raton, Florida. Costlier brand-name drugs made up about 80 percent of dollars spent on prescriptions in each year.

The figures, compiled by the research firm IMS Health Inc., show generic drugmakers are capitalizing on expiring patents and efforts by insurers to rein in health-care costs. The companies seek further gains this year as drugs with $20 billion in annual sales lose patent protection and the presidential candidates promise to make generic drugs more widely available.

“We’re poised to do very well,” said Kathleen Jaeger, president of the Arlington, Virginia-based Generic Pharmaceutical Association, in an interview yesterday. “All the candidates believe that generics are part of the answer.”

Drugs facing generic competition for the first time this year include Merck & Co.’s osteoporosis treatment Fosamax and Johnson & Johnson’s antipsychotic therapy Risperdal. Generic-drug companies are permitted under a 1984 U.S. law to apply for approval to copy conventional medicines, made through chemical synthesis, once patents expire or are ruled invalid.

Executives from the world’s biggest sellers of generic drugs — including Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the Sandoz unit of Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG, and U.S.-based Mylan Inc. — gather each year to discuss strategies for success in the competitive, low-margin business.

Health-Care Overhaul
This year’s topics include proposals by presidential candidates and lawmakers to overhaul the U.S. health-care system and to create a pathway for copies of medicines made through biotechnology. Costs for medical services have risen faster than wages and White House hopefuls from both parties have vowed to slow health-care inflation.

Paul Bisaro, chief executive officer of Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., said changes in health-care policy may not benefit his company and other generic drugmakers unless they play an active role to ensure the new rules aren’t manipulated by brand-name companies with more lobbying power in Washington.

“We have to be careful with health-care reform,” Bisaro of Corona, California-based Watson said yesterday in an interview. “Well-meaning, well-intentioned efforts could be very damaging to our industry.”

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton co- sponsored legislation last year that would for the first time allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve copies of biotechnology drugs that have been on the market at least 12 years.

Delayed Competition
Generic companies have called for revisions to the proposal, saying 12 years is too long to delay competition for drugs that can cost as much as $200,000 a year. Americans now spend $40 billion annually on medicines made from living cells, including Amgen Inc.’s anemia treatment Epogen.

Generic drugmakers also want the FDA to be able to consider on a case-by-case basis when clinical trials are needed to approve a copy of a biotechnology drug and when the copy can be substituted for the brand product at a pharmacy.

“We must achieve a balance of affordability, access and innovation,” said Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and longtime advocate of generics, in a taped speech today at the industry conference. “We need a clean approval pathway that is driven by science and allows FDA discretion based on that science.”

Presidential Candidates
Clinton, a New York senator, has said that if elected president she would increase funding for the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs to speed reviews of new medicines and eliminate “loopholes” in U.S. law that allow brand-name companies to block generic products from entering the market.

Generic companies say they don’t want to start paying regulators to handle their drug applications, as proposed by President George W. Bush this month in his budget, unless quicker reviews are guaranteed.

Clinton’s Democratic rival Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, has said he also would prevent brand-name companies from blocking copies and would encourage wider use of generics in U.S. health programs, including Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor, to lower costs.

Obama and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the leading Republican candidate for president, want to allow Americans to buy drugs from Canada and other countries if the medicines are shown to be safe and less expensive. McCain also has said he wants to improve the approval process for generic drugs and biotechnology medicines.

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Larkin in Boca Raton, Florida, at clarkin4@bloomberg.net.

News from Toronto’s BioPharma Community

Bioniche Receives Fast Track Designation For Bladder Cancer Therapy

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (Belleville), a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its therapy for first-line non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer meets the criteria for Fast Track designation. A Phase III clinical trial comparing a formulation of the Company’s Mycobacterial Cell Wall-DNA Complex (MCC) - Urocidin(TM) - to the current standard therapy in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer at high risk of recurrence or progression. This clinical trial, scheduled to begin later in 2008, aims to demonstrate non-inferior efficacy with respect to disease-free survival and fewer toxicities than the current therapy. This is the second Phase III trial of the Company to receive Fast Track designation: Bioniche’s registration trial of Urocidin for bladder cancer patients that have failed current therapies was designated as Fast Track in April, 2006. That first “Refractory” Phase III trial is ongoing at leading bladder cancer centres across Canada and the United States.

http://www.bioniche.com/

Bradmer Phase II results published in newly diagnosed glioblastoma

Bradmer Pharmaceuticals Inc., (Toronto) a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of cancer therapies, announced that Phase II data on the Company’s Neuradiab product candidate as a treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were published in the journal, Neuro-Oncology. This report summarizes the most recent clinical results utilizing patient-specific dosing of Neuradiab (I-131 mAb81c6) as an adjunctive therapy to oral chemotherapy, surgery and external beam radiation in patients with newly diagnosed GBM. The study, conducted at Duke University Medical Center evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of Neuradiab as an adjunct to standard of care therapy in a 21 patient trial, demonstrated a 42 percent increase in overall survival compared to a historical control of the current standard of care. The article titled, “A pilot study: 131I-Antitenascin monoclonal antibody 81c6 to deliver a 44-Gy resection cavity boost”, written by David A. Reardon and Michael R. Zalutsky as lead authors, will be published in the April 2008 edition of Neuro-Oncology.

http://www.bradmerpharma.com/

Computerized system promotes hand-washing in hospitals

TORONTO - Researchers at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (Toronto Rehab) are developing state-of-the-art technology that will help caregivers reduce hospital-acquired infection rates and provide safer patient care.

Each year in Canada, about 8,000 patients - or approximately 22 people a day - die from hospital-acquired infections. It is estimated that as many as half of these deaths are attributable to inadequate hand cleansing on the part of healthcare workers.

“Blaming the spread of infections in hospitals on healthcare workers is not really fair,” says Dr. Geoff Fernie (pictured), Toronto Rehab’s Vice President of Research. “Healthcare professionals typically work in very busy clinical environments with multiple competing demands for their time and attention. It is very difficult for them to remember to clean their hands each and every time they have contact with a patient.”

While everyone can improve their hygiene habits, according to Dr. Fernie, a healthcare worker would need to disinfect his/her hands 100 to 150 times per eight hour shift to achieve 100 per cent compliance. That is approximately once every five minutes and, during especially busy times, the need to disinfect could be as high as 70 times per hour. That works out to the equivalent of once per minute.

“We need to help caregivers remember to cleanse their hands at critical junctures in their daily care routine,” adds Dr. Fernie. “Our new hand hygiene technology will help healthcare professionals improve the consistency of their hand cleansing practices and support them in maintaining a safe and healthy environment for their patients and themselves.”

All workers in patient care environments would be outfitted with a small sensor attached to their identification lanyard. This sensor is part of an overhead electronic monitoring system that reminds healthcare staff by way of an auditory signal (a beep) to cleanse their hands, if they have not already done so, when they approach or leave different patients.

A portable alcohol gel dispenser that is attached to their waist or a static alcohol gel dispenser mounted to a wall - both equipped with sensors - can detect whether or not hands have been washed prior to and after individual patient/caregiver contact. The system also records the time of entry and exit of each designated patient area and the number of times hands are disinfected to obtain an overall record of hand cleansing compliance.

A few hospitals in Europe and the United States have implemented successful hand hygiene programs and report increases in hand cleansing frequency and decreases in certain types of hospital infections. However, achieving better staff hand hygiene practices does not happen overnight and is difficult to sustain.

“There are many factors that influence the development of hospital-acquired infections. While it is well established that the most effective way to stop the spread of infections in hospitals is hand hygiene using an alcohol hand gel, good hand hygiene must be used in combination with other measures, such as better hospital design, adequate cleaning and disinfection of the hospital environment and medical equipment, effective use of aseptic technique and appropriate use of personal protection gear such as masks, gowns, gloves, and face shields, and optimal antibiotic management.” says Dr. McGeer.

Under proposed new standards for infection prevention and control developed by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation in March 2007, hospitals will be required to monitor infection rates and participate in hand hygiene initiatives to maintain their accreditation.

“We’ve been successful in obtaining the research funding required to get us to this stage in the development process. What we need now is significant investment to accelerate development, refine the product and get it into the hands of those who are in a position to save thousands of lives each year,” says Dr. Fernie.

Dr. Fernie predicts that the system will be on the market in the next two years.

Source: Canadian Healthcare Technology

The Future of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Canada

By Ronnie Miller, President and CEO, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Chair Rx&D

The Canadian pharmaceutical industry today, “is like a roller coaster,” declared Ronnie Miller to the 137 members and guests who attended the January, 2008 OPMA dinner meeting. The industry “is going faster and higher and dropping further and faster than ever before,” he said.

To illustrate the roller coaster analogy, Mr. Miller summarized a recent article he had read, which listed the six key factors that keep a pharmaceutical CEO up at night:

1. Share price.
2. Pipeline vulnerability.
3. Health economic assessments.
4. The ability to sustain attacks from generic companies on intellectual property.
5. Job cuts and restructuring.
6. Relationships with Government.

He pointed out that in Canada there is an extremely rigorous approach to health economic assessments. Also, job security is no longer a given. In Canada, alone, the industry lost 2,500 jobs in 2007.

Read the full presentation on OPMA’s website

News from the OCRI Life Sciences

Liponex and ImaSight Announce Definitive Combination Agreement

Liponex Inc. (Ottawa), and ImaSight Inc., (Gatineau) a commercial-stage medical device company marketing an innovative, cost effective digital radiology solution, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine their respective businesses. This transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

http://www.imasight.com
http://www.liponex.ca

Feds invest $118M in public-private S&T partnerships

In December, the Canadian government pledged $118 million over three years for six National Research Council (NRC) technology cluster initiatives. As part of this announcement, the NRC National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) will receive $36 million over the next three years.

The investment will support the government’s priority areas: hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Vancouver, nanotechnology in Edmonton, plants for health and wellness in Saskatoon, biomedical technologies in Winnipeg, photonics in Ottawa, and aluminium transformation in the Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean region.

Technology clusters are broadly based community partnerships between industry, academia and all levels of government, focused on building a competitive advantage for Canada through research and innovation. These S&T partnerships position communities to attract talent, investment and economic activity.

Bed crunch: Scores of Ottawa hospital beds occupied by people who can’t find other care

Recently,178 beds in Ottawa hospitals were being occupied by people who didn’t need to be there but couldn’t find home care or long-term care.

So many hospital beds in Ottawa are being used to care for people who should be in long-term care or at home that it’s the equivalent of closing the Montfort Hospital, health officials say.

It’s the most serious problem facing hospitals across Ontario, says Tom Closson, the new president of the Ontario Hospital Association, far worse than a lack of money, and the crisis is deepening.

Mr. Closson said 2,800 hospital beds - or 18 per cent of all beds in the province - are occupied by patients who can’t find home or long-term care. On any given day, he said, about 800 emergency room patients in Ontario - “the equivalent of three medium-sized hospitals” - wait in hallways for admission beds that are not available.

While the problem is not new, it has become so serious in the last 18 months it is threatening the ability of hospitals to care for patients, Mr. Closson said.

“The single greatest risk to access lies in the huge number of patients waiting in hospitals for more appropriate care at home or in another place,” he said. “This is what we hear from our members more than anything else as being the big issue.”

Queensway-Carleton president Tom Schonberg agreed.

“In Ottawa, we have identified this as our No. 1 issue. The situation is absolutely critical because it puts pressure on all of the system right now,” he said.

He has identified four major challenges facing the province’s 157 hospital corporations:

Underfunding that sees Ontario hospitals getting $100 less per person a year than the Canadian average. Underfunding for hospital renovations that are estimated at $8 billion. With governments strapped for cash, it is imperative to have more public-private partnerships to build new hospitals, Mr. Closson said. A move to electronic health records that could revolutionize patient care and save lives. Mr. Closson said digitizing paper records would cost $4.5 billion over eight years. It could be done and would be money well-spent, he says. Beefing up community health services to take pressure off hospitals, which are reeling from patient overload.

At the Queensway-Carleton, where 30 per cent of beds are occupied by patients who have no medical reason to be there, but can’t be discharged for lack of alternative beds, 22 elective surgeries have been cancelled in the past four weeks as a result, Mr. Schonberg said.

“It is particularly frustrating for us at Queensway-Carleton because we have built new facilities, but are not able to utilize the full capacity of our operating rooms because we have no beds.”

Dr. Robert Cushman, chief executive of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, which oversees medical services in Eastern Ontario, acknowledges that the bed shortage now trumps other problems in Ontario hospitals. It has such a corrosive effect on the entire system that solutions have to be found quickly, he said.

“It impedes our hospitals from being the acute-care centres they were designed to be,” Dr. Cushman said.

In 2001, for instance, there were about 1,000 people in Ottawa waiting for long-term care beds. By the end of 2006, the number had grown to 1,620 and was rising. Of the 178 patients in hospitals in the Champlain LHIN who are ready to be discharged, 152 are looking for long-term care beds.

The provincial Liberals have announced a four-year, $700-million plan to improve community services, but it will take time to make a difference. Long-term care and nursing homes cannot be built overnight, and the challenge is to find short-term solutions.

Dr. Cushman says the LHIN and hospitals are working to set up teams of primary-care experts, mostly nurses, to make regular visits to subsidized seniors homes to deliver preventive care and catch health problems before they become serious.

Mr. Closson says another practical solution is for the Ontario Ministry of Health to lift a two-hour cap it now places on home support. Building more flexibility into home support to allow extra hours of service could make it easier for more people to live at home and care for themselves.

“We don’t have good community resources in Ontario to make the whole system work,” he said. “People are being cared for in the wrong places. We need to get the right mix of care.”
© Ottawa Citizen 2008

News from BioAlberta

BioAlberta is the central voice and the organizing hub for the bio-industry in Alberta.

Edmonton Report: Poised to offer biotech industry a world of opportunities

BioPartnering North America Convention

The BioPartnering North America convention on February 4th, 2008 in Vancouver hosted eager representatives from firms around the world who took advantage of the ample networking sessions and partnership opportunities. This very organized venue, with breakout rooms and private meeting spaces, was well-attended with an efficient registration procedure that reflected a well-organized event.

BioAlberta’s invited keynote address from Councillor Jane Batty of Edmonton illustrated strong growth for the life sciences industry both nationally and internationally.

Ms. Batty’ address at the BioAlberta Workshop pointed out that ‘Edmonton’s robust economy, research intensive business park and strong industry partnerships’ were the main reasons for growth in the biotech and life sciences sector in her area.

She pointed out that Edmonton Research Park and the neighbouring Alberta Research Council campus were the key players that ‘created the province’s premier research incubator’ by developing innovative technologies and smart inventions.

The Edmonton Research Park, supported by the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, employs over 3,000 scientists, engineers, doctors, technicians and support staff.

Ms Batty added that the park’s Advanced Technology Centre offers researchers and startup companies the opportunity to collaborate and ‘nurture innovations’ by providing flexible office space, access to equipment, and meeting rooms to help get ‘intelligent solutions’ off the ground.

The park is about to open a new Biotechnology Business Development Centre to give industry leaders the opportunity to ‘advance their research and commercialize new technologies’ in modern, pre-configured laboratories and customized office space while being able to partner with world-class industry leaders.

Edmonton hosts 64 of Alberta’s biotech companies.

Ms Batty indicated that the city is ready to support the next great idea and has an incredible network of life science partners…including some of the brightest minds at the University of Alberta, which is on track to be one of the top 20 universities by 2020, she said.

“We’re also home to Capital Health, the country’s number one health region, which fosters many ground breaking life science research projects and services,” says Batty. “Another key partner is TEC Edmonton which stands for technology, entrepreneur and company development. TEC Edmonton is a business-friendly organization that helps inventors and entrepreneurs take their research to the marketplace and supports high growth, technology-based ventures.”

Ms Batty added that since 1994, TEC Edmonton recorded over 818 inventions, received more than 300 patents, issued over 210 technology use licenses and created 84 spin-off companies employing over 1,000 people.

“When other provinces and states are bracing for a downturn in the market, Edmonton is looking ahead to a promising future,” says Batty. “We have a rapidly growing population and we enjoy the lowest cost of living in the nation. We have a cost-competitive business environment with our low tax structure. And, our GDP’s consistently exceeded the national rate of growth in eight out of the last ten years - so you can see, we are steady and we’re stable.”

In an effort to inspire people to move to, and stay in, Edmonton Ms Batty noted that it’s a ‘safe and friendly city with a rich community spirit….Edmontonians are passionate about theatre, art, dance, music, festivals, and sports, and, regardless of what the thermometer read last week, we enjoy more sunshine than any other major Canadian city.’

The biotech and life sciences community in the room enthusiastically supported the other speakers who echoed her sentiments on the upbeat growth of Edmonton’s life sciences industry and its robust economy and partner collaboration.

Saskatchewan’s Bioriginal Food and Science form partnership with US firm to launch oil derived from bt safflower

Arcadia Biosciences Inc. has formed a marketing partnership with a Canadian company that will sell oil made from Arcadia’s genetically engineered safflower.

The crop has been altered to produce higher levels of an essential fatty acid that research suggests may provide health benefits. It will be the first product Davis-based Arcadia brings to market.

Under the agreement, Arcadia will produce safflower oil with high levels of gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Bioriginal Food and Science Corp. will have exclusive marketing and sales rights.

The companies expect to start selling the safflower oil in the fourth quarter of 2008.

“Bioriginal has clearly staked out its leadership position in the global essential fatty acid markets,” said Eric Rey, president and chief executive officer of Arcadia, in a press release. “The company’s established distribution network and marketing expertise will help expedite availability of high-GLA safflower oil to consumers who want the benefits GLA can provide.”

GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties. Recent research, published in The Journal for Nutrition, indicates GLA supplements may help maintain weight loss.

The primary sources of the dietary supplement have been evening primrose oil, with a 10 percent concentration of GLA, and borage oil, which has a 20 to 23 percent concentration of GLA. Arcadia’s safflower oil has a 40 percent concentration of GLA and can be produced in larger quantities.

“GLA is a proven, powerful essential fatty acid that has been significantly underutilized,” said Bioriginal chief executive officer Joe Vidal in the press release. “Arcadia’s high GLA safflower oil can offer consumers a cost-effective and more convenient alternative to current GLA sources and could increase overall GLA consumption significantly.”

© Sacremento Business Journal

Don’t miss Montreal’s InVivo Career Fair, September 2008

“With over 500 jobs to be filled, once again the 2007 Career Fair attracted many companies and participants. This shows the dynamism of our sector and potential for people growth.”
- Mr. Carl Viel
General Manager, Montréal InVivo

Contact: Dr. Andrew Gregory at 1-877-751-9415 for details.

NOVA SCOTIA

BioNova’s Celebration of Research Excellence
April 24, 2008

Each year, BioNova awards the Research Excellence Award to an individual whose research has contributed to, or has the potential to contribute to, the growth of the biotechnology and life sciences sector in Nova Scotia. This award allows BioNova to recognize the scientific excellence which spurs commercial development in Nova Scotia. The award is presented during the Celebration of Research Excellence where the winners of the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge are also honoured for their outstanding achievements.

This year’s event will take place at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront. There will be a reception at 6 p.m. with dinner, guest speaker and the awards presentations at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, email info@bionova.ca.

ALBERTA

2008 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge

Edmonton: Wednesday, April 16th @ University of Alberta, TIMMs Centre
Calgary: Wednesday, April 23rd @ University of Calgary, Health Sciences Centre

BioAlberta proudly hosts the annual Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) in Alberta. The SABC is designed to encourage students to pursue scientific studies, broaden their horizons, challenge their intellect and consider careers in biotechnology.

The SABC is a science fair that features the work of high school students who conduct research projects and experiments of their own design. To participate, students develop research ideas in biotechnology and submit written project proposals. To provide guidance in their research projects, students are matched with mentors - experts working in the field - and are supervised during access to research labs normally reserved for university students and working scientists.

In Alberta, over $12,000 in cash prizes are awarded to the top five student teams and their schools (in Edmonton and Calgary), and the winners of the regional competition proceed to the Canadian National Challenge in May 2008.

Keynote Speaker: Andrew Hessel, Genomic scientist & consultant in DNA technologies and iGEM

BIO 2008 International Convention

San Diego: June 17 - 20, 2008

Alberta will once again have a strong presence at the BIO International Convention. It is the largest global biotech exhibition with more than 2,200 exhibitors this year, and over 60 international pavilions. This year’s convention will take place in San Diego, CA from June 17 - 20, 2008. The Alberta pavilion has only one booth space still available! If you are a BioAlberta member company interested in exhibiting, contact Aggie Mikulski - Marketing Manager at aggie@bioalberta.com.

ONTARIO

BioFinance 2008

May 6, 2008 - May 8, 2008

BioFinance 2008 is the Canadian Life Science industry’s leading investor conference. The meeting brings together key industry players to consider investment opportunities and issues affecting companies in biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics and research tools. Participants include senior life science executives, institutional and venture capital investors, industry analysts, corporate finance executives and experts from the scientific and medical communities in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

http://www.biofinance.ca

ACETECH Symposium in Ontario
May 29-30, 2008

This is the one time of the year when you, the CEO, should take the time to invest in yourself as a leader.

For this 2 day CEO retreat in Ontario, ACETECH brings a lineup of leaders of world-class companies dedicated to sharing the lessons they’ve learned while building their companies. You’ll hear how each met the challenges of the day…many of the same challenges you face every day…and how they faced these issues on the path to success.

The program is designed to provide an interactive environment of CEO networking, learning and sharing with each other. It’s quite an experience! The succession of presentations, breakout sessions to address specific issues in focused groups and even war stories will stay with you for a long time to come.

The ACETECH Symposium in Ontario is about CEO growth, performance and leadership. Join us for this exclusive symposium in Ontario and meet the movers and shakers in your industry who can help you take your company to the next level.

The program for the Annual ACETECH Symposium in Ontario in May 2008 will be available on this site in December 2007. Subscribe online to receive regular updates and invitations to other ACETECH networking events and workshops in Ontario.

For more information or to register visit: http://www.acetech.org/

QUEBEC CITY

The IXth World Conference on Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CPT2008)

July 27 - August 1, 2008
Québec City Convention Centre
900, boul René-Lévesque East, Québec City
Québec, Canada
http://www.cpt2008.org

CPT 2008 will bring together recognized international experts, in all areas of clinical pharmacology, clinical pharmacy, basic pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacoepidemiology to support better health outcomes and rational use of drugs. The exciting program will appeal to attendees whose interests range from the molecular to community health. New sciences of pharmacogenomics and proteomics will be well represented. The program will allow open discussions on the advances of drug research and utilization. The celebration of 400 years of Québec City history will provide an outstanding backdrop to sizzling science. It’s the first time since 1983 that CPT is held in North America. Do not miss this one!

Contact: Telephone: +1 (613) 993-0414
Facsimile: +1 (613) 993-7250
Email: cpt2008@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

BARCELONA

6th Annual Pharma Conference
Sales Force Effectiveness

April 2-4, 2008 Barcelona

Network and share knowledge with the leading minds in pharmaceutical sales and marketing excellence. At this event you will:

• Learn how to build truly customer-centric strategies by aligning your key processes and organization around your customers to achieve business excellence
• Discover how sales management is developing and changing and what you need to do to plan for the future
• Identify high impact KPIs that align with your sales strategy for maximum results and a motivated sales force
• Optimize First Line Managers with the latest coaching, training and management strategies
• Evaluate how Key Account Management can be used in your organization and what elements you need to adopt to drive your business
• Find out how the latest technologies like wireless applications, podcasting, social networking and mobile devices can support and streamline your SFE initiatives
• Increase your value proposition with KOL mapping and influence networks for truly effective targeting and segmentation

Contacts:

Izzy Wakeling
Head of Global Events
eyeforpharma
tel: +44 (0) 20 73 75 75 22
Toll free USA: 1 800 814 3459 x 202
Email: iwakeling@eyeforpharma.com
Website: http://www.eyeforpharma.com/sales2008

Jessica Evans
International Marketing Manager
tel: +44 (0) 20 7375 7524
Toll Free USA: 1 800 814 3459 ext. 204
fax: +44 (0) 20 7375 7576
Email: jevans@eyeforpharma.com

PHILADELPHIA

Oncology Drug Development World 2008

Courtyard Philadelphia
Downtown, Philadelphia, USA
24-27 June 2008

The World’s leading Oncology Strategy Summit, developing best practice in international drug safety and pharmacovigilance strategy. This unique meeting will address the critical strategic, scientific and regulatory issues in the development of targeted oncology therapeutics. This important meeting is for Early to late stage development managers and directors working on oncology products.

Website: http://www.healthnetworkcommunications.com

Contact: Julie Phillips
Email: jphillips@healthnetworkcommunications.com
Phone: +44 (0) 207 608 7039

UPCOMING SEMINARS

Advanced Regulatory Strategy
Montreal: April 15, 2008
Download the course brochure

Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Product Labeling
Toronto: April 17, 2008
Montreal: April 23, 2008
Download the course brochure

Rx&D Code Awareness Seminars
Toronto: April 22 and October 30, 2008
Montreal: April 29 and November 4, 2008
Download the course brochure

Drug Safety: Pharmacovigilance
Toronto: May 6, 2008
Montreal: May 8, 2008
Download the course brochure

Essentials of Public Payer Reimbursement
The Essentials of Public Payer Reimbursement seminar is coming in May 2008. For more information, please contact Andrew Gregory at (877) 751-9415, or by e-mail, andrew@pharmahorizons.com

Clinical Trial Applications
Toronto: May 15, 2008
Montreal: May 13, 2008
Download the course brochure

The PAAB Code: Strategies, Tools and Techniques to Speed Approval of Your Submission
Toronto: May 14 and November 19, 2008
Montreal: May 22 and November 12, 2008
Download the course brochure

Effective Decision-Making in Early Drug Development Trials
Toronto: May 27 and October 21, 2008
Montreal: May 29 and October 28, 2008
Download the course brochure

NEW FOR 2008!

Coaching for Improved Sales Performance
Toronto: April 15, 2008
Montreal: May 7, 2008
Download the course brochure

About the Seminar

Sales managers in the pharmaceutical industry face a variety of challenges in the routine execution of their leadership roles. For example, managers demonstrate leadership when they deal effectively with unproductive and negative behaviours that potentially impact the performance of their teams.

Employees who fail to meet performance expectations typically treat others carelessly, complain and criticize others inappropriately, and spread discord within the sales team. Effective sales managers must move quickly and skilfully to maintain and grow harmonious and productive working relationships.

This highly-interactive session provides participants with models and proven techniques for eliminating performance-blocking behaviours. Through realistic pharmaceutical case studies, participants will explore practical strategies for approaching and managing difficult coaching situations.

During the one-day session participants will:

• Identify the requirements for well-designed objectives and standards in the development of effective performance.
• Examine the role and strength of “values” in the resolution of unproductive behaviours.
• Explore three techniques for delivering interpersonal feedback that reinforce desirable behaviours and eliminate negative behaviours.
• Identify challenges faced by managers when dealing with difficult coaching situations.
• Explore and implement models for resolving difficult situations.

Who Should Attend: Pharmaceutical Sales Managers, VPs of Sales and Marketing

Learn to:

• Establish clear performance expectations and standards
• Deliver effective performance feedback
• Create a motivating environment that reduces potential performance problems
• Deal productively with misdirected frustrations and negative “attitudes”, and
• Demonstrate clear leadership in challenging coaching situations

Information Security in Your Sales Rep’s Home Office
Toronto: April 30, 2008
Montreal: May 15, 2008
Download the course brochure

About the Seminar
Now you can reduce your company’s risk of data breach and ID theft in the home office environment. This great mini seminar is ideal for regional and national sales meetings and is packed with 2 ½ hours of practical, often overlooked tips.

Seminar topics include:
ID theft, paper and electronic file management, securing home networks and portable devices, securely storing electronic data, and password management.

Speaker Coaching: Influencing Speaker Performance
Montreal: May 1, 2008 & November 10, 2008
Toronto: May 6, 2008 & November 13, 2008
Download the course brochure

About the Seminar

This practical interactive workshop presents a sophisticated platform, based on physician behaviour change research, to influence your speaker and generate success in CHE. By combining and applying theories from psychology and adult education, the participant will build knowledge and skill to influence CHE outcomes.

Would you like to feel more confident in your ability to influence the speaker? Do you want to save time & reduce frustration with your CHE efforts? Do you want to identify the 4 disciplines that contribute to successful CHE outcomes and how you can influence them? Do you question whether the CHE events in which you’re involved are as “successful” as possible?

If you answered ‘Yes” to these questions, you don’t want to miss this new seminar by Jill Donohue.

The Changing Relationship between the Pharmacist and Pharma
Montreal: May 14, 2008
Toronto: May 22, 2008
Download the course brochure

About the Seminar
Did you know that some pharmacists can now prescribe?

Learn how new legislation and health care policy is altering the role of pharmacists in health care delivery across Canada.

This course is designed to provide a solid background in understanding pharmacists, their evolving role in health care delivery, and how to maximize sales to this increasingly important target group.

Who Should Attend:
Sales managers and directors Product and brand managers Marketing managers and directors Business development managers and directors
Special price available for Teams! Enroll 2 & the 3rd participant pays half the regular price. Get your entire group involved and lower your training costs.

Senior Sales Management: Simulation-Based Training
Montreal: June 16-17, 2008
Toronto: September 8-9, 2008
Download the course brochure

Optimizing District Performance: Simulation-Based Training
Montreal: June 18-20, 2008
Toronto: September 10-12, 2008
Download the course brochure

Protect yourself against mobile phone fraud

For most of us, our mobile phone is our daily companion. Something we use to keep in touch with friends and family. Unfortunately, we sometimes misplace our phones. Or even worse, have them stolen. If a TELUS phone is returned to their store, they ensure that it finds its way back to its rightful owner. But unfortunately, misplaced or stolen phones are usually gone for good.

If your phone is left active it might be used to make unauthorized calls. Here are some easy steps to help protect your mobile phone from being used without your consent.

Lock it
Many phones have a phone lock (a number that has to be entered to allow it to place calls). It may not be convenient to lock your phone whenever it’s not in use but if you’re storing your phone and don’t think you’ll be using it for a while (such as having to answer a call quickly) this may be an option.

Suspend it
If your phone is misplaced, make sure to suspend it as quickly as possible. This will ensure that no unauthorized calls can be placed to or from the phone beginning at the moment you suspend.

Keep in these tips in mind to make sure that you’re protected from someone else using your phone or your minutes.

For more tips on home office security, don’t miss the new seminar: Information Security in Your Sales Rep’s Home Office. Details below.

Information Security in Your Sales Rep’s Home Office

Toronto: April 30, 2008 - morning
Montreal: May 15, 2008 - afternoon
Download the course brochure

Now you can reduce your company’s risk of data breach and ID theft in the home office environment. This great mini seminar is ideal for regional and national sales meetings and is packed with 2 ½ hours of practical, often overlooked tips.

Seminar topics include: ID theft, paper and electronic file management, securing home networks and portable devices, securely storing electronic data, and password management.

Cost: $400 - per participant, or ask about in-house seminar rates.
Registration: See other side for registration information

SEMINAR SPEAKER
Graham McWaters has been working in the financial services industry for over twenty years and has first-hand experience with preventing identity theft as well as risk management. He is an author and animated speaker who is often quoted in the media and appears regularly on national television. Graham’s latest book is The Canadian Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Other Fraud.

For more information or to register:

Call Andrew Gregory, toll free at Pharmahorizons
1.877.751.9415, or by email:
andrew@pharmahorizons.com

Ask how we can help formulate an in-house seminar to meet the specific needs of your department or firm.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

– Robert F Kennedy (1925-1968),
Former US Attorney General and US Senator,
one of the two younger brothers of John F Kennedy;
both Robert and John were assassinated.

“Take everything you like seriously, except yourselves.”

– Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936),
Prolific English poet and author who wrote The Jungle Book (1894)

The Genius of Humor

You do have a good sense of humor, don’t you? I thought so, because most people think they do. People may realize that they cannot do math, or cannot spell, or have no aptitude for musical instruments, but not too many of us will admit to deficiencies in the humor category.

Let’s explore the genius of humor, an extremely underrated quality. Why don’t we take humor more seriously? To an extent, this is understandable, but it prevents us from consciously recognizing the importance of humor in our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. We want people to be funny to some extent, whether they are our politicians, our teachers, our writers, our film stars, or our family members. We also want to be funny ourselves. However, for the most part, we are not ready to acknowledge humor as a category of genius on the scale of mathematics, music, science, or art.

Today, we generally equate seriousness with intelligence, or at least with importance. When you are in a crucial business meeting, or making a major sales presentation, it is not a good idea to act childish or tell many jokes, not even if they are funny. Actually, you may have noticed how there is almost a procedure for getting humor out of the way in meetings or speeches. Somewhere near the beginning, early on, you can tell a joke, or maybe even two: “A duck walks into Home Depot and says, ‘Put everything on my bill!’” Then when that is over with, you can get down to the serious business at hand. A person who keeps being funny can be seen as destabilizing or even subversive. That is not good in our day and age. We do not have court jesters anymore and they will not be coming back any time soon.

Henry Louis Mencken, the 20th century essayist and critic, confronted the prejudice against humor very directly. He wrote, “What is the origin of the prejudice against humor? Why is it so dangerous, if you would keep the people’s respect, to make people laugh? Is it because humor and sound sense are essentially antagonistic? Has humanity found by experience that the man who sees the fun of life is unfitted to deal sanely with its problems? I think not. However, why, then, that widespread error? None other, I am convinced, than the fact that the average man is far too stupid to make a joke.”

Humor is not just a way to break the ice at parties. It is a basic need for both the giver and the receiver. It is, or should be, a basic element of your interactions with other people. Humor is an instrument you should use, and you should learn to use it well. That does not mean you should memorize joke books. It does mean that you should see the necessity for a light and humorous touch.

I am a lifelong admirer of Lucille Ball, and I consider the Lucy Show a work of authentic comic genius. These days, when I watch re-runs of the show from the perspective of many years of marriage and fatherhood, it seems funnier than ever, One of the things that strikes me is how the show reveals the comic reality that domestic life can make us take so seriously. For instance, if you have ever actually had the boss and his wife over for dinner, you know it is not a laughing matter and, if the roast burns, it is not an easy thing to forgive. However, I think Lucy’s humorous take on these things is much closer to the truth than the way we experience them when we are so stressed out. Her touch is light, forgiving, affectionate and very funny!

Mark Twain made a distinction between humor and wit. He described wit as a bright feather launched into the air, and it is quickly blown away. However, in many situations, that light touch is exactly what is needed. When the tension is high, you can be a hero just by making the right kind of amusing remark. Keep that in mind the next time you feel like screaming aloud!

Studies have shown that three year olds laugh hundreds of time each day. After three, the laughing curve turns downward throughout life and, in some people, the muscles of the face are so weakened through years of glowering that laughter is literally impossible in old age. I urge you to do everything you can to bring laughter into the world, for yourself and for those around you. Nothing is more healing and healthful. Nothing is more courageous. Moreover, nothing is a greater expression of genius.

Here’s to more personal insight,

Tony Alessandra, PhD

Dr Tony Alessandra is a lecturer and author.
http://www.alessandra.com