What adds up to a small amount of money in terms of government spending could have a big impact on the provincial economy and health care system.
That is the message Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey delivered Tuesday (Oct. 10) when she announced a total of $6.6 million to help build up provincial capacities for clinical trials of pharmaceuticals.
About two-thirds of the money B次元官网网址� some $4.2 million B次元官网网址� will fund six beds for Phase 1 clinical trials at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver operated by Providence Health Care. Phase 1 clinical trials test experimental drugs or medical devices on human volunteers to judge their respective safety. While trials usually involve a small group, they are necessary for future phases. The six-bed-unit will become operational in late 2024 and it will be the only non-cancer Phase 1 clinical trial unit in Western Canada.
Bailey hopes this status will help British Columbia to continue build its life-science sector.
B次元官网网址淲hat historically has happened, because we donB次元官网网址檛 Phase 1 (non-cancer clinic trials), is that many drugs will be tested elsewhere,B次元官网网址� Bailey said. B次元官网网址�(When) those drugs are tested elsewhere, itB次元官网网址檚 very common that Stage 2, 3 and 4 clinic trials will also happen in a different market that takes those jobs away from us and it also takes away the intellectual property and sometimes even the company.B次元官网网址�
Fiona Dalton, president and chief executive officer with Providence Health Care, said Canada captures about four per cent of the global clinical-trial market. This rate is about 10 times higher than CanadaB次元官网网址檚 population, she added. But Canada generally B次元官网网址� and B.C. specifically B次元官网网址� lack the facilities for Phase 1 resulting in companies having to go abroad for the tests which determine whether to continue development of potential therapeutics. This gap has hurt the provincial economy, Dalton added.
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The University of British Columbia is also receiving $2.4 million to establish a research chair focused on expanding clinical trial capacities in B.C., including a residency training program in clinical pharmacology.
B次元官网网址淓xpanding clinic trial capacity and expertise will allow university researchers and local companies like AbCellera, Acuitas Therapeutics and Precision NanoSystems, all of which came out of (a) UBC research lab, to grow and develop their technologies and create new blockbuster drugs here in B.C.,B次元官网网址� Gail Murphy, UBCB次元官网网址檚 vice-president research and innovation, said.
B次元官网网址淢ost importantly, it means British Columbians will have access to life-saving medical treatments sooner,B次元官网网址� she said.
TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 announcement is the latest around B.C.B次元官网网址檚 life-science sector. In the spring of 2023, Premier David Eby announced $75 million for AbCelleraB次元官网网址檚 new state-of-the-art biotechnology campus with a price tag of $701 million. B.C.B次元官网网址檚 contribution adds to a federal contribution of $225 million.
The provincial government sees these contributions as part and parcel of a larger program to create jobs in high-tech fields, having launched the so-called Stronger BC: Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy earlier this year. It aims to establish B.C. as a B次元官网网址渨orldwide life sciences hubB次元官网网址� by building on established expertise.
B次元官网网址淰irtually every COVID-19 vaccine candidate that reached late-stage development in 2020 used components that were initiated, developed or manufactured by a B.C. company or scientist, and this strategy builds on our accomplishments,B次元官网网址� the provincial strategy report reads.
Providence Health Care also plans to include a purpose-built unit for Phase 1-3 clinical trials at its planned clinical support and research centre next to the new St. PaulB次元官网网址檚 Hospital at the Jim Pattison Medical Campus. Michael Smith Health Research BC, the provinceB次元官网网址檚 health-research agency, will contribute an additional $1.2 million to the centre.
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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