Rx&D President Russell Williams made the following statement to complement the recent announcement by the Centre for Drug Research and Development's (CDRD) commercial arm, CDRD Ventures Inc. (CVI), of a strategic collaboration agreement whereby Hoffmann-La Roche (Roche) has committed several million dollars to support and jointly develop innovative health research technologies.

According to Williams, "The announced agreement between Roche and CDRD - a national-not-for-profit public-private organization headquartered in Vancouver, which help scientists succeed by providing drug development expertise and infrastructure - offers a vivid example of the innovative scientific collaborations being developed that will bring substantial benefits for Canadians and help patients over the world.

"This newly-formed partnership will build on British Columbia's $1.8 billion investment in research and innovation and will help create jobs and enhance the province's reputation for R&D. It will provide CVI with capital and additional world-class external expertise to further support Canadian health researchers in the development of new therapeutics."