Amgen becomes a new member of CQDM to further the development of cutting-edge drug discovery

MONTREAL, Nov. 19, 2018 /CNW/ - CQDM is pleased to welcome Amgen as a new member of its biopharmaceutical research consortium established to identify and invest in highly innovative biopharmaceutical research projects in Quebec and Canada with the ultimate goal of enabling the development of better treatments for patients.

This announcement was made at CQDM's 10^th Anniversary Forum in the presence of over 300 stakeholders of the life sciences industry. 

"The Québec government firmly believes in the importance of coordinating biopharmaceutical research and will continue to support partnership initiatives that establish Québec as an important player in the development of innovative treatments.  Bringing Amgen on board with CQDM is in line with our desire to encourage partnerships and increase the economic spinoffs associated with the innovations that result."

Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation and Minister Responsible for the Lanaudière Region

"We are delighted to welcome Amgen at CQDM. It is a world leading biopharmaceutical company who will bring key expertise to the development of the next generation of innovative technologies that are essential to the growth of our economy," said Diane Gosselin, President and CEO of CQDM.

"We are thrilled to be officially joining CQDM's biopharmaceutical research consortium," stated Philip Tagari, Amgen's Vice President of Therapeutic Discovery. "Amgen has long recognized the high-quality research that emerges out of Quebec. In fact, some of the clinical science that supported the development of Amgen's most recent cardiovascular drug, Repatha^®, was undertaken at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. From regenerative medicine, to stem cell manufacturing, to artificial intelligence, Quebec is leading in many ways and we are excited about the partnership opportunities that CQDM offers."

"The Government of Quebec has long recognized the importance of the biopharmaceutical industry to its economy," said Francesco Di Marco, Vice President and General Manager of Amgen Canada. "Our investment in CQDM is a recognition of the importance of Quebec as a partner in growing the life sciences sector in Canada. CQDM's research consortium brings together local emerging companies, great science and the resources of multinational enterprises for the benefit of the patients we serve. We are extremely excited about what we can accomplish together."

About Amgen
Amgen, a biotechnology pioneer, discovers, develops, and delivers innovative human therapeutics. Our medicines help millions of patients in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease, cardiovascular disease and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, we continue to advance science to serve patients. For more information, visit www.amgen.ca.

About CQDM
CQDM is a biopharma-based research consortium created in 2008 with the mission to fund the development of innovative technologies to accelerate the drug discovery and development. Its business model is based on a collaborative approach bringing together world-leading pharmaceutical organizations, Canadian biotech companies as well as the Canadian and Quebec governments who share the costs of the research. CQDM uses this leverage to reduce the risks inherent to early-stage biopharmaceutical research. In doing so, CQDM bridges the funding gap needed to drive innovation across the academic and private sectors, especially where early-stage research is concerned. Over the last 10 years, CQDM has benefited from the contribution of 13 industrial members: that includes Merck, Pfizer, AstraZeneca as founding members as well as Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly Canada, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Novartis Pharma Canada, Roche, Sanofi Canada, Servier, Takeda and now Amgen. CQDM also received contributions from Quebec's Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI) and from the Government of Canada under the Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence Program (BL-NCE). Since 2008, CQDM has supported the development of 64 outstanding innovative technologies totaling $68M in funding. These R&D projects, carried out by 1,200 scientists from 69 different research institutions (38 public and 31 private) across Canada, have generated numerous economic benefits for all the stakeholders of the life science ecosystem. For more information: http://www.cqdm.org/en.

SOURCE Amgen Canada

For further information: CQDM, Diane Gosselin, President and CEO, CQDM, Tel.: [phone], [e-mail]; Amgen Canada, Natasha Bond, Tel.: [phone], [e-mail]