MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO by Andrew Casey, BIOTECanada
Biotech’s Moment A CENTRAL PILLAR OF BIOTECANADA’S NARRATIVE FOR THE INDUSTRY is the reality of a global population moving quickly to nine or ten billion people and the enormous pressure feeding, housing, healing, and fueling this population growth places on the environment and planet. Globally we must fundamentally alter how we grow, manufacture, cure and energize our economies and societies. Biotechnology can be central in meeting this challenge and for those countries home to vibrant biotech sectors there is enormous economic benefit to be had from developing these solutions. Amidst growing concerns about COVID-19 variants and the challenge of vaccinating the global population, the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its climate change report (https://bit.ly/3yo92Ll ) which warned us in no uncertain terms that at current warming levels the world is like a large ocean-going cargo ship: it will take enormous effort to materially alter its course over the coming years. Quite clearly, we are currently on an unsustainable trajectory. The dinosaurs are a good reminder of the reality that ultimately the planet is not at risk, it is we as a species that is at risk if we do not urgently take meaningful steps to reduce our environmental footprint. Again, biotechnology is central to our ability for solving this challenge. The pandemic’s economic, social and health impact certainly has effectively focussed the attention of policymakers and the public on the strategic importance of having a
strong domestic life sciences industry and biomanufacturing capacity. Will lessons learned from the pandemic experience change how we respond to the IPCC report? The pandemic should not have been the surprise it was. Long before its arrival, experts cautioned governments regarding the real possibility of a pandemic (indeed, our very own Vaccine Industry Committee repeatedly urged government to takes steps to prepare for a pandemic). Most warnings went unheeded or were met with a minimal response. Accordingly, when it hit, governments found themselves in the uncomfortable position of building the plane while in flight. Several months later, it is clear they have little interest in reliving this experience and are now taking significant steps to prepare for future pandemics. In the 2021 budget, the federal government earmarked over $2 billion in the federal budget to grow the life sciences sector in Canada and develop domestic biomanufacturing capacity. Not only does this make good public policy sense, but it also presents an important and timely opportunity to accelerate the growth of Canada’s biotech sector beyond just a biomanufacturing response in a crisis. If we are to avoid the IPCC’s predicted pandemic-like crisis in the environment, then it would make good sense for all countries to urgently recognize and invest in the solutions coming out of the biotech sector. Launched in the spring of 2020, (read paper here) has been an important vehicle to communicate to policymakers on the value of the entire biotech ecosystem to Canada.
The ecosystem is a foundational piece upon which to build as it is national in scope and includes a diverse mix of early-stage companies, universities, incubators/accelerators research centres, investors, and multinational pharmaceutical/biotech companies. Federal and provincial governments have recognized the sector’s importance as they prepare for future covid-like challenges, improve environmental performance and begin the economic rebuild needed over the period ahead. Governments are correspondingly developing strategies and investing to advance the sector and Canada’s competitive position more broadly. While the investments and initiatives are welcome, they are for the most part strategically disconnected. In this context, Canada’s competitive position to attract global investment and grow Canada’s biotechnology sector would be significantly enhanced by federal and provincial governments strategically partnering with industry to coordinate and leverage their investments and policies. In addition, the sector’s overall competitiveness would be greatly enhanced by governments taking steps to modernize and coordinate regulatory oversight of the sector. Accordingly, this is a critical time for industry and government to partner constructively to deliver on diverse but connected objectives relating to the entire life sciences sector. With more than two hundred and forty members representing the full biotechnology ecosystem and all life sciences sectors including healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and investment, BIOTECanada will continue to support all undertakings designed to develop a cohesive national strategy to augment the vast potential of the entire biotechnology sector in Canada. Note: At the time of writing the federal election had just been called.
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