OUR COMMITMENT TO QUEBEC

 

GlaxoSmithKline is committed to the development of strong collaborations and vibrant partnerships that improve the quality of life for Canadians and people around the world. Across the country, GlaxoSmithKline works with governments, research institutions, patient groups, health-care professionals and community organizations to provide real solutions to the health-care needs of patients. Together, we can help Canadians to do more, feel better and live longer. 
 
PEOPLE AND FACILITIES

• GlaxoSmithKline has more than 1,400 employees in Quebec, with corporate offices in Montreal and Quebec City, and manufacturing facilities in Quebec City and Laval.
  
  

• Since 2005, GlaxoSmithKline has invested $250 million to upgrade vaccine manufacturing facilities in Laval and Quebec City, Quebec. As a result, 60 new jobs were created and manufacturing capacity of seasonal flu vaccine has increased to 75 million doses per year. The Quebec City facility is now a key global influenza vaccine manufacturing site, supporting public health strategies in Canada, the United States and worldwide. Scientists in Laval will focus research and development work in the areas of adjuvant technologies, molecular biology, immunology, respiratory viral vaccines, allergy, oncology and process development.

 

QUEBEC BUSINESS OFFICE (BAQ)

• Created in 1987 in recognition of the distinct nature of the Quebec market and its performance potential, the Bureau d’affaires du Québec (BAQ) is an innovative office that serves as a model for other companies.
  
  

• The BAQ houses a number of important national corporate functions, and resembles a head office more than it does a regional office and generates considerable benefits.
  
  

• The success of the BAQ is linked to its provincial partnerships in the private and public sectors, in the research community, and with health-care professionals. These partnerships are mutually beneficial, fostering the sharing of competencies and resources.

 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• GlaxoSmithKline invested more than $178 million in Canadian research and development (R&D) in 2007 alone, ranking it among the top 15 contributors to R&D in Canada, across all industries.

 

• GlaxoSmithKline’s $22 million Pathfinders Fund for Leaders in Canadian Health Science Research was established to help Canada become a world leader in R&D. This initiative encourages health science research and fosters innovation in Canadian medical schools.

 

CLINICAL RESEARCH

• In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline invested close to $45 million in clinical trials in Canada, conducting more than 80 trials and enrolling well over 2,900 patients. This represents approximately six per cent of the company’s worldwide clinical trial program. The Clinical Development Group typically works on more than 35 different chemical compounds varying from phase I to phase IV trials.
  
  

• GSK supported 60 academic research proposals in 2007 with physicians across Canada.
  
  

• In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline invested close to $11 million in clinical trials in Quebec.

 

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of life of Quebecers through innovative health-care programs.

• PRIISME®, GlaxoSmithKline’s community-based chronic disease management initiative, helps health-care providers support patients suffering from asthma, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Initially launched in Quebec in 1999, PRIISME® now consists of more than 50 regional projects across Canada – all meeting local community health-care needs. The contributions of PRIISME® to the health-care system are highlighted in two Quebec publications on chronic disease management: Constats et perspectives sur le médicament au Québec and Les maladies chroniques et la modernisation du système de santé québécois.
  
  

• In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, GlaxoSmithKline created the Quebec Network for Education on Asthma. Today, this network comprises close to 120 centres for education on asthma and infectious obstructive lung disease, which so far have treated more than 25,000 patients by helping them understand and control their disease.
  
  

• GlaxoSmithKline has forged other partnerships in the respiratory sector, specifically with the 1-888-POUMON9 telephone help line, which is supported by the Quebec Lung Association; the Quit and Win program, which encourages smokers to quit; and the World Asthma Day awareness campaign, which is conducted in collaboration with the Quebec Lung Association.
  
  

• In collaboration with Shire BioChem, GlaxoSmithKline has allocated more than $1 million each year for the last 10 years for research into HIV/AIDS and to related organizations. In Quebec, the company supports the It Works campaign against AIDS, the CPAVIH info-treatment line and the Montreal AIDS Action Centre.

 

COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS

• GlaxoSmithKline is committed to giving back to the communities in which our employees live and work, and annually donates a minimum of one per cent of pre-tax profits through The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and other channels.
  
  

• The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, in conjunction with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and hospice palliative care organizations across the country, launched Living Lessons®. Established in 1998, the national campaign aims to raise awareness of, and support for, hospice palliative care services.
  
  

• GlaxoSmithKline is a leading contributor to Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC), a charitable organization that provides free medications, medical supplies and vaccines donated by Canada’s research-based pharmaceutical companies to developing world countries and disaster areas. Since 1994, GlaxoSmithKline has contributed almost $23 million in humanitarian product donations.

 

For further information:
Public Affairs Department, Quebec Business Office
GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
(514) 956-3121
www.gsk.ca