PharmaBoardroom’s list of personalities whose voices, opinions and decisions matter in Canadian pharma’s industry, regulatory affairs, reimbursement and pricing.
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Health
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor was elected in October 2015 as a Member of Parliament in the riding of Moncton–Riverview–Dieppe.
Ms Petitpas Taylor is well-liked for her work in the community and for dedicating her life to advocating for a fair and just society for all. She was the former Chair of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women and a member of the Coalition for Pay Equity. She has volunteered with several community organizations, including the Coalition Against Abuse in Relationships and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Suicide Prevention Committee in Moncton.
As the Minister of Health, she is responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. This is supported by the Health Portfolio, which comprises Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Health Portfolio consists of approximately 12,000 full-time equivalent employees and an annual budget of over $3.8 billion.
Ms Petitpas Taylor also served as the Deputy Government Whip from December 2015 to January 2017. In January 2017, she was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.
Ms Petitpas Taylor was the Codiac RCMP Victim Services Coordinator, during which time she provided crisis counselling, domestic violence intervention, and risk assessment to victims of crime. She also served on the City of Moncton’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, which was commissioned by Moncton City Council in 1996 to proactively influence the community through crime prevention promotion and to help Council respond to problematic issues as they arise.
Read our recent interview with Ms Petitpas Taylor.
Luc Boileau
President & CEO, INESSS
(Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux)
INESSS was created on January 19, 2011, and Luc Boileau was formally appointed as the institute’s president and CEO in 2015. It succeeded the Conseil du médicament and the Agence d’évaluation des technologies et des modes d’intervention en santé (AETMIS).
INESSS is an independent organization that reports to Québec’s Minister of Health and Social Services. It is composed of health and social service professionals, researchers, clinicians and managers.
At the heart of their mission, is the assessment of the clinical advantages and the costs of the technologies, medications and initiatives used in health care and personal social services. It issues recommendations concerning their adoption, use and coverage by the public plan, and develops guides to clinical practice in order to ensure their optimal use.
Dr Boileau has had a long career in the management of health institutions and public health organizations, as well as in the regional governance of health systems. He has participated in and led several major regional and national projects, particularly in Africa.
From 1993 to 2001, Dr Boileau was Regional Director of Public Health, and from 2001 to 2008, President and CEO of the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie. From October 2008 to January 2015, he was President and CEO of the Institut national de santé publique du Québec until the Cabinet appointed him in his current position.
Read our recent interview with Luc Boileau.
Douglas Clark
Executive Director, Patented Medicines Prices Review Board
Douglas ‘Doug’ Clark is the Executive Director for the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB). He has held this position since October 2013. A career public servant, Doug has a background in international trade law, intellectual property policy, pharmaceutical industry issues and competition law enforcement.
Part of the Health Portfolio, the PMPRB is an independent quasi-judicial body established by Parliament in 1987 under the Patent Act.
It protects the interests of Canadian consumers by ensuring that the prices of patented medicines sold in Canada are not excessive by reviewing prices on a case by case basis.
The PMPRB regulates the “factory gate” prices and does not have jurisdiction over prices charged by wholesalers or pharmacies, or over pharmacists’ professional fees.
They are also responsible for reporting on trends in pharmaceutical sales and pricing for all medicines and for reporting research and development spending by patentees.
Although part of the Health Portfolio, the PMPRB carries out its mandate at arm’s length from the Minister of Health. Likewise, it operates independently of other bodies such as Health Canada, which approves drugs for safety, efficacy and quality.
In 2000, after graduating from law school, Doug was hired by Industry Canada to assist in the case management of two WTO-based legal challenges to Canada’s pharmaceutical patent regime brought by the US and EU. In 2006, Doug became the Director of the Patent and Trademark Policy Directorate at Industry Canada, where he led a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives under the Patent Act and Trademarks Act, including the development of Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) and pharmaceutical patent litigation reform. In 2009, Doug joined the Competition Bureau as Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Civil Matters Branch, where he was responsible for a number of high profile prosecutions under the Competition Act.
Read our recent interview with Douglas Clark.
Brian O’Rourke
President, CADTH
Dr Brian O’Rourke has been the President and CEO of Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) since January 2009.
CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing Canada’s healthcare decision-makers with objective evidence to help make informed decisions about the optimal use of drugs and medical devices in the Canadian healthcare system. Their reach spans all of Canada excepting Quebec.
Prior to this role, Dr O’Rourke had a distinguished career as a Pharmacist and Health Service Executive with the Canadian military.
Dr O’Rourke also sits as the Chair of the Health Technology Assessment Steering Committee and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science. He is also Co-Chair of the ISPOR North America Health Technology Assessment Roundtable and served as the Board Chair for the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment from 2014 to 2018.
Read our recent interview with Brian O’Rourke.
Danielle McCann
Minister of Health and Social Services, Québec
Danielle McCann is the Minister of Health and Social Services, Québec and has held this position since October 18, 2018.
She is best known as the former president and general manager of the Agence de santé et de services sociaux de Montréal (the agency of health and social services in Montréal), where she was responsible for a budget exceeding 6 billion dollars, and the coordination of services for more than 60 healthcare institutions, including 7 university hospitals.
Danielle McCann has sat on ten boards of directors, including Accreditation Canada and the National Institute of Public Health of Québec.
A social worker by training, she also holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from the Université de Montréal and a Master of Business Administration from HEC Montréal.
Suzanne McGurn
Assistant Deputy Minister, Drugs and Devices and Executive Officer, Ontario Public Drug Programs
Suzanne McGurn is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Drugs and Devices Division and Executive Officer of Ontario’s Public Drug Programs and has held this position since 2004.
Legislation gives the Executive Officer a number of powers relating to public drug programs enabling them to put changes in place more efficiently by allowing them to: make faster decisions that are more responsive to patients, prescribers and manufacturers, communicate decisions and rationale publicly, and partner with manufacturers to improve the process for listing drugs.
Under this role, Suzanne also heads the Transparent Drug System for Patients Act, 2006 and the Assistive Devices Program (ADP). The former was put in place to improve patients access to drugs, ensure better value for money and to strengthen the transparency and accountability in the public drug system. The ADP, which was put in place in 1982 provides funding assistance to Ontario residents who have long-term physical disabilities requiring assistive devices (such as wheelchairs, prosthesis and hearing aids) so they can stay healthy and stay at home longer, reducing the strain on hospitals and long-term care homes.
Prior to her current roles, Suzanne served as the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Health Human Resource Strategy Division. Here she was responsible for HealthForceOntario, the province’s strategy to ensure that Ontarians have access to the right number and mix of qualified health care providers.
Working in health care for more than 25 years, with a background in nursing, Suzanne spent the first half of her career in a variety of clinical, front-line service provision and management roles, spanning areas of acute care, chronic care, corrections, industry, and home care. Since 2000, she has held a number of public policy positions with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Imran Ali
Senior Manager, pCPA – pan-Canadian pharmaceutical alliance
Imran Ali is the Senior Manager of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance Office and has been in the role since September 2015.
Established in August 2010, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) brings provinces, territories, and federal drug plans together to negotiate prices for publicly covered drugs.
The pCPA’s role is to enhance patient access to clinically relevant and cost-effective drugs. It serves this mandate by conducting collective, expert-informed negotiations for treatments.
As of April 2018, these collaborative efforts between provinces and territories have resulted in over 200 completed joint negotiations on brand name drugs and price reductions on over 60 generic drugs.
Imran started his career at the ministry in 2006 with the Primary Health Care Branch where he managed physician services contracts then moved up the ranks with roles as; Senior Manager with the Agreements & Negotiations Unit in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Negotiations Branch, and the Ministry Co-Chair for the Systems Management Committee, which is responsible for bilateral monitoring and analysis of physician services in Ontario with the OMA
Read our recent interview with Imran Ali.
Pamela Fralick
President, Innovative Medicines Canada
Pamela Fralick was appointed as President of Innovative Medicines Canada in April 2017.
An experienced leader, Ms Fralick is applauded for her long career in fostering positive change and is described as one of Canada’s ‘leading, compassionate voices in the health sector.’
Innovative Medicines Canada is the national voice of Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical industry.
As the President, Ms Fralick leads the industry association by working with its members and communities to ensure Canadians have timely access to the medicines they need.
Prior to joining Innovative Medicines Canada, Ms Fralick was President and CEO of Canada’s largest health charity, the Canadian Cancer Society and has also served as president and CEO of the Canadian Healthcare Association (CHA) and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, and holds an ICD.D designation.
Proving her commitment to the health and well-being of the Canadian public, Ms Fralick has served on numerous prestigious boards and collaboratives across Canada. She was Chair of the Health Action Lobby, Co-chair of the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century and Chair of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada. She has been active in many organizations as a senior volunteer, including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Triathlon Canada and the International Triathlon Union. She is currently on the boards of Outward Bound Canada (Chair) and the Canada Dance Festival (Past Chair).
Read our recent interview with Pamela Fralick.
Jim Keon
President, Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
Jim Keon is President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA), the organization representing Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry. He has held this position since 1998.
Jim advocates for the increased use of generic medicines as a smart way to save scarce health-care dollars to private sector drug plans, pharmacists and others involved in patient care.
Under his leadership, the CGPA works closely with all levels of government to develop policies to nurture and develop Canada’s drug industry both locally and for export markets. To achieve this, Jim advocates for fair and balanced patent laws and the appropriate government resources for the review of generic drugs, which ensures the timely availability of generic drugs for Canadians.
Prior to joining the Association, Jim held senior positions in the federal government and was directly involved in international trade negotiations for the FTA, NAFTA and the WTO, as well as Canada’s inter-provincial trade negotiations.
Jim is also past chair and a member of the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA), which is committed to promoting the interests of generic and biosimilar medicines around the world.
Jim graduated with an M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University and has extensive experience in areas of intellectual property, trade and consumer protection.
Read our recent interview with Jim Keon.
Andrew Casey
President, BIOTECanada
BIOTECanada is the national industry association reflecting the diverse nature of Canada’s health, industrial and agricultural biotechnology sectors. The association has over 200 members nationwide.
As President & CEO of BIOTECanada Andrew is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Association. He is the primary spokesperson for Canada’s biotech industry communicating on the industry’s behalf with government, regulators, international bodies, media and the Canadian public. He also ensures that BIOTECanada plays a central role in developing policy relating to Canada’s biotech sector and their member companies.
Prior to joining BIOTECanada, Andrew served from 2004-2012 as Vice President, Public Affairs and International Trade and Vice President, Government Relations and Communications for the Forestry Products Association of Canada. In these roles, he was responsible for the Association’s government relations, communications, media relations, advertising and international trade undertakings. From 1993-2004 he held the position of Assistant Vice-President, Government Relations with the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. Between 1989 and 1993 Andrew held political assistant positions with a Member of Parliament and the Minister of State (Finance).
Read our recent interview with Andrew Casey.
Richard Lajoie
Bausch Health, President
Richard Lajoie has been President of Bausch Health Canada since June 2017 and joined the company in 2013 as Vice President of the Pharma Business Unit.
Bausch Health develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of pharmaceutical and medical device products, primarily in the areas of dermatology, eye health, cardio-metabolic, and neurology.
Previously known as Valeant, the company changed its name to Bausch Health in 2018. Once Canada’s most valuable company by stock market value, Valeant’s stock plunged by nearly 90 per cent in 2015 amid various controversies.
Lajoie saw the company through this change whilst still very new to his position and has lead innovative business model transformations, many new launches and completed successful business development deals.
He has been recognized over the last 15 years as an inspirational and creative leader with a strong capacity to build high performing teams.
Read our recent interview with Richard Lajoie.
Jeff Watson
President & COO, Apotex
Founded in 1974 Apotex is a global pharmaceutical company that produces affordable medicines (both generic and innovative pharmaceuticals) for patients around the world. The company produces approximately 25 billion doses per year, which, equates to one in five prescriptions.
Jeff is President & Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Apotex and was appointed in 2018. He oversees the day-to-day operations, including research and development, manufacturing, packaging and distribution of products across three Lines of Business to more than 115 countries around the globe.
Jeff has held progressively senior positions within Sales and Marketing since 1993 when he joined the company.
Prior to this role, Jeff was President, Global Generics, the companies largest line of business, where he provided leadership for the Commercial and Strategic Operations and was instrumental in delivering significant growth.
Before joining Apotex, Jeff spent time working in the retail pharmacy sector for Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s leading pharmacy chain.
Jeff has also been a member of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) Board of Directors since 2012 and served as Chair in 2017 and was re-elected in 2018. In 2008 he became an Executive Member of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association’s (CGPA) board. From March 2015-February 2017, he served as Chair of CGPA’s board following three years of service as Vice Chair. Jeff is a former Chair of the US Healthcare Distribution Alliance’s (HDA) knowledge partner, the HDA Research Foundation. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors for TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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