Archive for 2024
PEI bioscience sector achieves new heights with outstanding 2022 performance
PEI BioAlliance releases new survey data showing private sector revenue exceeds $600 million
The PEI BioAlliance released the results of a survey with feedback from over 50 bioscience sector companies based on 2022 business performance. In 2022, private sector company revenues reached over $600 million, a nearly $250 million increase over 2020, while investment attraction topped $64 million and capital expenditures exceeded $61 million. Currently, the bioscience sector employs 2,200 people and is one of the top three industry contributors to the provincial economy. The Prince Edward Island Bioscience Cluster is on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry by 2030. Most Cluster companies are focused on human and animal health products.
“Sustained sector growth year-over-year is a direct result of PEI’s bioscience companies being competitive in the global market, growing and attracting business by continuously innovating and developing products and services that are in demand,” said Oliver Technow, Board Chair, PEI BioAlliance and CEO, BIOVECTRA. “BioAlliance partners form a cohesive business ecosystem that enables both established industry leaders and emerging companies to grow successful businesses.” BIOVECTRA completed one of Canada’s first biomanufacturing centres specialized in mRNA / pDNA vaccines in Charlottetown on November 2023.
The rapid growth of the Cluster has put pressure on two key enablers of continued success: the availability of skilled personnel and the availability of specialized R&D and manufacturing facilities.
To address these challenges, the Governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island announced a $50 million investment in the BioAccelerator in Charlottetown, PE, the largest single investment in economic development infrastructure in PEI history. Located in the BioCommons Research Park, the BioAccelerator will be a unique multi-function facility with 60,000 sq. ft. of laboratory and biomanufacturing space. The BioAccelerator will become a centrepiece for new technology development and biomanufacturing in Atlantic Canada and nationally. Detailed engineering design work is underway, and the project will break ground this summer.
The BioAcclerator will complement the existing BioManufacturing Incubator (BMI) in the BioCommons, a 20,000 sq. ft. facility comprised of six fully serviced, self-contained units to support pilot-scale manufacturing of bio-based products.
“The growing diversification of our bioscience sector as one of the economic powerhouses of our province is a clear signal that PEI is not only open for business, but the place to do business,” said the Honourable Gilles Arsenault, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Trade. “Our goal is to grow a healthy and sustainable Island economy, and the innovation and forward-thinking of emerging and existing businesses of this sector shows we are on the right path.”
The PEI BioAlliance established the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) to address a regional and national skills and workforce availability shortage in the life sciences sector by creating a national talent pipeline. CASTL opened its headquarters and biopharmaceutical manufacturing training facility in Charlottetown in 2022 with support from federal and provincial partners. Due to its success, CASTL opened a facility in Montreal last fall, with a Richmond, British Columbia centre opening in the fall of 2024.
Rory Francis, CEO of the PEI BioAlliance, shared that these initiatives are key elements in the BioAlliance’s plan to build the province’s capacity and reputation as a national centre of expertise in biomanufacturing.
“Collaboration and cooperation among businesses, academic and research partners, and governments at all levels continues to make PEI a great place to locate bioscience-based businesses,” said Francis. “These investments in infrastructure and skilled people allow us to continue growing our contribution to the province’s economy in health-related products and open the door for new opportunities in the application of biotechnology to other global challenges, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts.”
BIOVECTRA partners on Canadian solution to establish a domestic supply chain for immunotherapies
BIOVECTRA is pleased to be part of a Canadian solution with NGEN partners CCRM, Precision Nanosytems (Cytiva), Northern RNA, and OmniaBio to establish a Canadian supply chain network to accelerate and standardize lentiviral vector development from clinical to commercial manufacturing.
Elanco aqua business purchased by Merck Animal Health
PEI fish health assets a key part of the transaction
Charlottetown, PE – Elanco Animal Health has announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its aqua business to Merck Animal Health for approximately $1.3 billion in cash. Elanco’s aqua business includes products across both warm-water and cold-water species, generating an estimated $175 million in annual revenue. The divestiture includes the transfer of manufacturing sites in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Dong Nai, Vietnam, as well as approximately 280 commercial and manufacturing employees.
In Prince Edward Island, Elanco currently employs 140 skilled workers, producing some of the leading fish health vaccines in the world. The PEI business began in the late 1980’s as a startup called AquaHealth, a spinout of Connaught Labs, with support from the Province of PEI. AquaHeath was one of the founding companies of the PEI BioAlliance when the company employed only 20 people, and later went on to be purchased by Novartis Animal Health in 2000. As a result of solid global sales and investment, Novartis grew the business to over 120 employees and in 2015, Elanco purchased all Novartis Animal Health assets.
“Merck’s purchase of the Elanco aqua assets is a very positive sign for the growth and development of the fish health product business here in PEI and globally,” said Rory Francis, CEO, Prince Edward Island BioAlliance. “Elanco has been a great partner, and we look forward to working with the Merck team to ensure their investment in PEI is a benefit to all.”
The BioAlliance has an existing close relationship with Merck Animal Health, with CEO Rick DeLuca serving as Honourary Chair of the VetHealth Global Animal Health and Nutrition Conference in Charlottetown in 2017.
“We are excited for the acquisition of Elanco’s aqua products, solutions as well as the capabilities and expertise the team brings to our business,” said DeLuca. “We believe this acquisition, coupled with our commercial and scientific prowess, will deliver enhanced benefits for our aqua customers.”
Aquaculture is the fastest growing source of animal protein in the world. Prince Edward Island has established itself as a global centre of expertise in fish health product development and commercialization with nine companies involved in developing fish health technologies, as well as the Atlantic Veterinary College’s fish health programs.
Media Contact
Clara Deacon
Director of Communications and Marketing
PEI BioAlliance
C: 403.701.2815
E: clara@peibioalliance.com
About the PEI BioAlliance
Since 2005, the PEI BioAlliance has coordinated the development and growth of the province’s bioscience cluster and established the conditions for business success. The cluster creates high-quality, Island-based jobs in the areas of human, animal, and fish health and nutrition. The PEI BioAlliance is a partnership of 60 businesses, academic and research institutions, and federal and provincial government agencies, dedicated to establishing the bioscience sector as a key pillar in the economic foundation of the province and Atlantic Canada.
About Elanco
Elanco Animal Health is a global leader in animal health dedicated to innovating and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets, creating value for farmers, pet owners, veterinarians, stakeholders, and society as a whole. With nearly 70 years of animal health heritage, they are committed to helping our customers improve the health of animals in their care, while also making a meaningful impact on local and global communities. At Elanco, they are driven by their vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and Elanco Healthy Purpose™ Sustainability Initiatives – all to advance the health of animals, people, and the planet.
About Merck
Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business of Merck. Through their commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, they offer a wide range of veterinary medicines, vaccines and health management solutions and services, as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that includes identification, traceability and monitoring products.
You’re Invited – First BioNetworking Session of 2024
Join us February 14 for the first BioNetworking Session of 2024! This session will feature informative presentations from Auxly, Retro Cannabis and FIGR (the PEI cannabis corner) about the growth of the cannabis industry in the province. We will host a networking lunch following the presentations.
📆 Wednesday, February 14, 2024
⏰ 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
📍 Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, Rotary Auditorium
🔗 Register now!
Schedule:
1 1 – 12:00 p.m. – Presentations
1 2 – 12:30 p.m. – Lunch and Networking
With presentations from:
Auxly Charlottetown is a world-class developer of innovative cannabis products for the wellness-focused consumer, wholly owned by Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. Proudly processed at our 52,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art facility in Charlottetown, PEI, Auxly’s products are developed and manufactured on-site by a world-class team of scientists and experts, ensuring high-quality, precision and consistency. Auxly’s wellness products, available at licensed cannabis retailers across Canada, consist of non-GMO capsules and oils. Built on the pillars of quality, safety and efficacy, Auxly is cannabis, down to a science.
RETRO Cannabis is a new craft micro producer in Charlottetown, PEI. Retro is focused on producing top-quality cannabis products with attention to detail in every step of their process.
FIGR is PEI’s only licensed cannabis producer located in the Charlottetown BioCommons Research Park. FIGR produces, processes and distributes cannabis-based products for the adult-recreational and medicinal cannabis markets. The facility is comprised of over 300,000 sq. ft. with two floors dedicated to growing and processing recreational and medical cannabis.
CASTL Exective Director Penny Walsh-McGuire recognized as distinguished alumni
CASTL Executive Director Penny Walsh-McGuire has been named one of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards from Holland College.
BioTalent Canada releases new National Compensation Guide 2023-24
Republished from BioTalent Canada:
With the release of their National Compensation Guide, BioTalent Canada is helping health and biosciences employers develop a robust talent management strategy to improve their recruitment and retention capabilities.
The national compensation guide includes:
- National Occupational Standards (NOS), outlining the education, skills, and experience needed for specific roles
- Base salary information
- Benefits data
“Compensation benchmarking is an essential piece of any organization’s talent strategy,” says Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. “Regardless of size, organizations that put time and energy into attracting and retaining the best and brightest the industry has to offer will stand out in an increasingly competitive market. Our National Compensation Guide is a vital piece of that puzzle.”
As the voice for talent development in Canada’s bio-economy, BioTalent Canada supports small and medium-sized organizations with tools and strategies to attract, train, and retain talent in a sector that is critical to the Canadian economy.
“BioTalent Canada will continue to work with the industry and their stakeholders to provide employers with products and services to help them grow,” says Henderson.
Partner organizations of BioTalent Canada in the National Compensation Guide include BioAlberta, Bioscience Association Manitoba, Life Sciences Ontario, BIOQuébec, Research NB, Life Sciences Nova Scotia, PEI BioAlliance, and, MMGI.
To order your copy of the National Compensation Guide, visit biotalent.ca/compensationguide