With a legacy built on scientific excellence, and a strong innovation engine in place, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) Canada has entrenched itself as one of Canada’s leading biopharmaceutical companies.
“Working to address serious disease with breakthrough science, and then bringing these innovative advancements to Canadians, is at our core as our company,” says Troy André, the Montreal-based general manager of BMS Canada.
This approach has led to advancements in the development of cancer and immuno-oncology (I-O) treatments, an extensive hematology portfolio, deep expertise in cardiovascular and emerging growth in immunology.
Immuno-oncology innovation changes survival rates
Ten years ago, BMS Canada was the first company to bring an I-O medicine to Canadians. “Over the last decade, the median overall survival rates for those diagnosed with metastatic melanoma have increased from just over 6 months to now being over 6 years.[1] This is a true testament to the impact the field of I-O has had on a serious disease, and it reinforces why innovation is so important to us,” stresses André.
Innovation is the catalyst for evolutions in patient care
As treatment options become more widely available to patients, and new standards of care are established, it’s important that these accomplishments are not accepted as the final frontier of patient care.
“We continue to focus on developing first-in-class and best-in-class medicines to address significant unmet patient needs. One place we’ve done this is in the area of personalized medicines. With many of our investigational therapies and increased disease understanding, we are now able to take a targeted approach to research, subtyping patient populations to help better identify personalized treatment options.”
The development of personalized medicines means that each patient may be able to have their own unique disease management plans, or treatment “road map” that can be followed and revised over time.
Research partnerships are a win-win in Canada
In Canada, BMS’ research approach is exemplified through our strong external research partnerships. “To stay at the center of innovation, we’ve made strategic decisions to strengthen our connections in academia and biotech,” explains André.
For Canadian patients, this means they may have access to more treatment options at an earlier stage. For researchers, particularly in the early in the process, this provides primary experience with new treatment possibilities.
The next five years will be important for BMS Canada. With an expanding treatment portfolio, and one of the most diverse pipelines in the industry, BMS has a major opportunity to help patients and communities manage challenging health conditions.
“We know that we have an important role to bring the next wave of medicines,” says André. “We also believe that Canadian patients who can benefit from our medicines should have access to them. We will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders, including payers, physicians, and patient advocates to enhance access.”
[1] Korn et al (2008) J Clin Oncol. ; 2. Wolchok et al (2021) J Clin Oncol.