Neomed has launched the Biologics and Vaccine Center of Excellence in Laval under a proposed partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). This Center will be unique in Canada and GSK has committed $47 million towards its establishment. Neomed is a nonprofit that fosters the development of promising therapeutic approaches emerging from academia and biotechnology companies and is jointly funded by the pharmaceutical industry, the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et des Exportations du Québec and the Networks of Centers of Excellence (NCE) of Canada.

"We are extremely happy to announce the creation of Neomed's biologics and vaccines division, a Center of Excellence that will build on the scientific heritage of GSK and the successful business model of the Neomed Institute research hub in Technoparc Montréal's Saint-Laurent Campus. This Center will allow Quebec to generate significant economic benefits and offer many companies in Quebec, Canada, and abroad access to state-of-the-art facilities and to an expertise of exceptional quality," said Max Fehlmann, Neomed president and CEO.

Founded in 2012, Neomed has contributed to the sustainability of the biopharmaceutical industry in Montreal by creating an innovative, flexible and adapted business model for R&D. Since its inception, the Neomed Institute has been able to attract 175 people working in 23 independent small and medium-sized companies focusing primarily on the development of small molecules. These companies have transformed the way R&D is conducted through collaborative partnerships.

The GSK proposed partnership will ensure that the expertise remains in Montreal. It will allow both the preservation of 50 jobs and the eventual creation of new positions. It also will increase opportunities for new discoveries to make the necessary step toward commercialization.

The new Neomed biologics and vaccines division is structured around three distinct and fully integrated pillars:

• The transformation of the GSK research facility, and its high-tech laboratories and equipment, into a multi-tenant hub of small and medium-sized enterprises
• The creation of a specialized CRO that will market its biology and clinical immunology services to the business community and to GSK for at least three years
• The creation of an exclusive partnership between GSK and Neomed in order to share risks and benefits on existing biologic and vaccine projects.

"This partnership demonstrates the value of the Neomed Institute and the open, collaborative environment that has been created in Montreal," Max Fehlmann said. "It also illustrates GSK's commitment to supporting science in Canada, building on many existing collaborations with organizations across academia and industry. We are also pleased to see the Quebec government supporting this important initiative which fosters innovation and keeps the R&D expertise in the province."

"We are very pleased to partner with Neomed to create a unique Biologics and Vaccine Center of Excellence," said Paul Lirette, president, GSK Canada Pharmaceuticals. "It enables GSK to look externally and develop collaborative partnerships to optimize R&D, and represents the dawn of a new and promising era for pharmaceutical research in the Montreal region."