Montreal InVivo Montreal InVivo | Page 5

DO YOU THINK THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE IS CONDUCIVE TO THE
SECTOR’ S DEVELOPMENT? PL: The establishment of the LSWG sent a strong message to industry. This is a step in the right direction. That said, policies need to be sustainable and live beyond changes in government. I would, for example, like to see the government implement more measures that support the integration of innovation into our health system.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON A PUBLIC SPACE EXCLUSIVELY FOR LSHT? FB: Although this sector is little known and misunderstood, its contribution is comparable to the major sectors of any region’ s economy. That’ s why Montréal InVivo decided to meet this very challenge.
$ 240 M IN PRIVATE INVESTMENTS. THIS IS THE TARGET OF THE ECR INITIATIVE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. IS IT TOO AMBITIOUS? FB: Quite the contrary! We may have even underestimated the impact of the ESCT Initiative. Whatever’ s put in place will benefit all the clinical trials and will attract even more industry investment to Montréal and Quebec.

« Innovation is vital to our industry. But how do we make more room for it in our health care system?»

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE LSHT INNOVATION? FB: It’ s all about transforming ideas into products. Innovation is vital to our industry. But how do we make more room for it in our health care system?
PL: Research and development enables us to discover new treatments and drugs. R & D is the key to everything we do, because both allow us to contribute to the well-being of patients. And Montréal is a breeding ground for innovation. We need only look at HIV / AIDS treatment, which has undergone a revolution, courtesy of a product discovered and developed here. We hope that other outstanding innovations will be brought to life in Montréal.
IF YOU WERE THE MINISTER OF ECONOMY, SCIENCE AND INNOVATION, WHAT WOULD BE THE ABSOLUTE FIRST MEASURE YOU WOULD IMPLEMENT TO SUPPORT THE SECTOR? PL: For Quebec patients to benefit from advances in health technology as quickly as possible, I would convince my colleagues in Finance and Health that our province must play its role as a strategic buyer and should support the introduction of health system innovations.
WHY DO YOU THINK THE ESCT INITIATIVE WAS SELECTED AS THE PRIORITY PROJECT BY THE WORKING GROUP ON LIFE SCIENCES? FB: I think it’ s because the cluster’ s stakeholders realized we must shift from a“ generalist“ to“ multi-specialist“ approach to be competitive internationally. This initiative is a follow-up to the one on personalized healthcare and meets this need.
As an industry, we must find niches in which we can excel and develop them if we want to remain competitive. Early clinical trials will represent a $ 65-million market by
2021. In addition to unique expertise, Montréal now has new hospital infrastructure and world-class research. Here we have a great business opportunity.
WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DOES THE NEAR FUTURE HOLD? FB: I do not have a crystal ball, but I think that big data remains to be explored and will play an increasingly crucial role in our industry in the coming years. This certainly represents an opportunity for Quebec. The Montréal region is also at the global forefront in this area.
PL: With a public health system, Quebec has a number of advantages, including a critical mass of data. We should make diverse health data more accessible to better exploit and develop new business opportunities in Quebec.
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