News Releases

ratiopharm’s Jean-Guy Goulet Named Chair of Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
CGPA strengthens voice with new members: Pharmascience, Biovail Contract Research Division and PDi-Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Toronto, February 10, 2003 – The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) today announced the appointment of Jean-Guy Goulet, President and CEO of ratiopharm, as Chair of the Association. Allan Oberman, the President and CEO of Novopharm, takes over from Goulet as Vice-Chair, and Jack Kay, President of Apotex, becomes Past Chair, after serving more than a decade as the Association’s Chair.

Mr. Goulet began his career in the pharmaceutical industry in 1987 at Technilab Pharma, ratiopharm’s predecessor, where he held various positions including Vice-President, Operations and Vice-President, Marketing and Sales. Before taking over as President and CEO of ratiopharm in May 2002, Mr. Goulet served as Executive Vice-President, Business Development and Scientific Affairs.

“My first priority as Chair is to see that the federal government follows through on the recommendation of the Romanow Report to review Canada’s expensive and unfair drug patent laws, ” said Goulet. “These rules, that allow brand name drug companies to extend their market monopolies beyond the expiry of original 20-year patents, are harmful to the generic industry and rob our health-care system of hundreds of millions of dollars by forcing Canadians to pay for higher-priced brand name drugs for longer than they should.”

The CGPA also announced that Pharmascience Inc. of Montreal, one of Canada’s largest generic manufacturers, Biovail Contract Research of Toronto, Biovail’s independent Contract Research Organization, and PDi-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Richmond Hill, have joined the Association.

“The addition of these companies builds on the momentum our Association has established over the past few years. Canada’s generic industry is stronger and more united than at any time in our 40-year history,” Goulet said. “With the planned federal Industry Committee review of drug patent laws and the desire of Canadians to move forward with health-care reform, 2003 is an important year for us to show Canadians and their governments that generic medicines can play an even larger role in protecting and sustaining our health-care system.”

About the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association

The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association represents Canada's generic drug industry – a dynamic group of entrepreneurial companies that specialize in the production of high quality, affordable generic drugs and fine chemicals and in conducting the clinical trials required for government approval of generic drugs. It plays an important role in helping control overall healthcare costs by keeping the cost of medications down: generic drugs are priced, on average, 45% less than their brand-name equivalents.

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