Rx&D encouraged by Canadian government innovation agenda, but has some concerns

The 2012 federal budget released last week by the federal government in Canada includes initiatives to bolster Canadian innovation and foster partnerships between world-leading researchers, both of which are critical to advancing life science research in Canada.

“As the industry that discovers and develops the medicines and vaccines that improve and save lives, we recognize and acknowledge this effort and direction,” commented Russell Williams, president of Canada’s Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) trade group.

“We welcome the government’s commitment to encourage the development of public and private sector partnerships. Last week, CIHR and Rx&D announced the continuation of our 10-year research collaboration. This program has supported a wide range of health research projects at universities and hospitals across Canada,” he said.