A New Chair and a New Member of CATALIS Quebec’s Board of Directors | CATALIS is pleased to announce the appointment of Me Jean Groleau as Chair of the Board of Directors and Patrice Roy as board member. | The Board of Directors Welcomes Me Jean Groleau | “It is with utmost delight that I accept this nomination as Chair of the CATALIS Board of Directors. I am pleased to have the opportunity to ensure that in every major decision the organization makes, the needs of patients and caregivers will be considered. As the parent of children with a rare disease and co-founder and president of a foundation dedicated to medical research, I recognize the importance and, above all, the urgency of accessing new innovative medical therapies. Patients of all ages and medical conditions must have easy access to clinical trials anywhere in Quebec.” - Me Jean Groleau, Chair of CATALIS’ Board of Directors | | Me Groleau is a seasoned lawyer specializing in both administrative and judicial tax litigation. First launching his career as a lawyer in Revenue Québec’s litigation department, he was named a partner at a national firm and both vice-president and chairman of its board of directors before co-founding Groleau Gauthier Plante LLP in 2015. While working in the legal field, Me Groleau has also been hugely committed to philanthropy. In addition to having served on the board of directors of the Sainte-Justine Hospital Foundation for five years, Me Groleau and his spouse established, in 2006, the Fondation de l’Ataxie Charlevoix-Saguenay. This foundation finances research to discover and develop a curative treatment to help people with autosomal recessive spastic ataxia, a progressive, hereditary, and debilitating neurological disease. Furthermore, Me Groleau sits on the board of directors of the Centre d’Art Battat foundation, whose mission is to support artists and the arts. Before being nominated as Chair of CATALIS’ board of directors, he served as its Vice-President for two years. | A Message from Dr. Marc Rivière, Outgoing Chair of CATALIS’ Board of Directors | “I want to acknowledge how proud I am of CATALIS Quebec’s achievements. I am impressed with the growing team’s accomplishments and the collaborative work they have done across the province. After five years of service, I am happy that Me Jean Groleau is now taking over as Chair. His expertise will serve to ensure that CATALIS can implement a program of activities and services that meet the needs of Quebec patients.” - Dr. Marc Rivière, Past Chair of CATALIS’ Board of Directors | | Me Groleau and the board of directors’ members would like to thank Dr. Marc Rivière for his commitment and invaluable contribution to CATALIS’ mission. They are thrilled that he will remain a member of the CATALIS Quebec board of directors. | The Board of Directors Welcomes Patrice Roy | “I am pleased to be joining CATALIS’ board of directors to take part, over the next few years, in fostering the growth of clinical research in Quebec, impacting patients within the province, and developing our collective expertise.” - Patrice Roy, Team Lead Medical Affairs, Inflammation and Immunology, Pfizer Canada | | Patrice Roy holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the Université de Montréal and a Master’s degree in business administration from McGill University, double-majoring in human resources and marketing Patrice joined Pfizer Canada in 1996 as an assistant director of central research in Canada. He then became the first assistant medical director of its medical affairs division before being promoted to regional director of medical affairs for Quebec, the Maritimes, and Western Canada. He is currently chief officer of medical affairs, inflammation and immunology at Pfizer Canada. Before joining Pfizer, Patrice was in charge of the administration of the university research groups on Alzheimer and dislipidemia. Over the years, Patrice Roy has had the opportunity to sit on the council of research centres and funding agencies. He has also been involved in developing organizations that drive the life sciences sector. | New Successes for CATALIS' FAST TRACK Evaluation Service | Since offering our FAST TRACK Evaluation Service to members of the CATALIS Network, it has consistently proven its effectiveness. Since late 2021, this innovative service has been positioning Quebec’s healthcare institutions on the global clinical research stage by reducing trial authorization times by 75% - a remarkable collaborative achievement. To date, the 21 clinical trials authorized through CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service have produced a record-breaking authorization median of 8.6 weeks for a total of 38 institutional authorizations. FAST TRACK Evaluation Service | Novartis: Nine Clinical Trials Authorized in a Record-Breaking Median of 8.6 Weeks | “At Novartis, we are committed to developing scientific advances and treatments that improve patient health. Through our partnership with CATALIS, we are working to accelerate the time and effectiveness of our clinical trials in Canada so we can provide patients with innovative, life-saving treatments faster. These latest authorizations demonstrate the strength of both CATALIS and the entire Quebec life sciences sector, which continues to grow and prosper as a global hub for innovation and co-creation.” - Andrea Marazzi, Country President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada | | CATALIS is pleased to release additional information about Novartis’ 3 recent clinical trials, which were authorized through its FAST TRACK Evaluation Service: SIRIUS-SLE 1 (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), KRAS (Lung Cancer), et VICTORION-2 (Cardiology). | Pfizer: First Trial Authorized with a Median of 8.2 Weeks | For the first time, the Pfizer pharmaceutical company used CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service to authorize a complex Phase Ia/Ib oncology clinical trial, meaning a master protocol that includes several sub-studies. In this study, Pfizer is assessing the effectiveness of a potential treatment for patients with advanced solid tumours. Phase Ia is being conducted at a dozen sites and aims to recruit 40 patients worldwide. Thanks to CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, three Quebec healthcare institutions were able to authorize the clinical trial with a median of 8.2 weeks, ranking one of them among the 3rd fastest activated sites in the world. | “Pfizer is pleased to be a member of the CATALIS Network and to have carried out its first project through the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service. Given the critical need to offer new treatments to patients more quickly, the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service allowed us to significantly reduce the time it took us to launch our study while greatly simplifying the logistics inherent in the process. We really hope to repeat this success in future collaborations with the CATALIS Evaluation Service.” - Mona Maroun, Director, Clinical Site Management, Pfizer Canada | | The main site, the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, authorized the clinical trial in 8.2 weeks, ranking it 3rd in the world and 1st in Canada out of all sites activated for this study The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) also authorized this Phase 1a/1b oncology study in 7.0 weeks, making it the 2nd activated site in Canada. Montréal’s Jewish General Hospital authorized this study in 9.8 weeks. | AbCellera Joins the CATALIS Network | CATALIS is delighted to welcome AbCellera to its Network of partners. This new pharmaceutical company will strengthen the CATALIS Network by joining the other partners: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), GSK, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, and Vertex. Together, these partners support CATALIS in its mission to optimize the clinical research environment in Quebec in order to accelerate the development of innovative care for the benefit of patients across the province. | “The AbCellera team is thrilled to join the CATALIS Network as we continue to build our capacity to discover, develop, and manufacture new drugs in Canada. By conducting clinical research using local networks, we can forge a path for Canadian patients to be among the first in the world to benefit from innovative treatment options being developed. We look forward to working with members of the CATALIS Network to make the drugs patients need available faster.” - Véronique Lecault, Director and Chief of Operations, AbCellera | | The Personalized Clinical Trial Support Service Welcomes Six New Patient Associations | Clinical Trials Quebec’s Personalized Clinical Trial Support Service, the newest CATALIS initiative, is available to the following six new patient associations: Sickle Cell Anemia Association of Quebec, Ovarian Cancer Canada, Coeliaque Québec, Save Your Skin Foundation, Parkinson Québec, and Scleroderma Quebec. These new collaborations aim to provide new patient communities and caregivers with free access to simplified and verified information about available clinical trials. Clinical Trials Quebec’s Personalized Clinical Trial Support Service, CATALIS’ newest initiative, is now available to 16 patient associations, members of the CATALIS Network. CATALIS would like to thank the following patient associations for participating on the patient advisory committee and for their commitment to co-developing the Personalized Clinical Trial Support Service’s pilot: Colorectal Cancer Canada, Coalition Priorité Cancer au Québec, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Québec, Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Federation of Quebec Alzheimer Societies, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation, Ataxia Charlevoix-Saguenay Foundation, Myeloma Canada, Procure, Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines, ALS Society of Quebec, Arthritis Society of Canada, and MS Canada. | Provincial Reference Tools: CATALIS Contributed to the Update | To fulfill its government mandate of optimizing Quebec’s clinical research environment and accelerating the development of innovative treatments for patients, CATALIS participated in the update of five provincial reference tools: the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Research Ethics Boards (REBs), the Statement on Optimizing the Research Contract Negotiation Process, a provincial model Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (mCDA), a pan-Canadian model Clinical Trial Agreement (mCTA), and the participants’ home activities memo. The REBs’ SOPs (v2) are intended to serve as a reference guide for managing and standardizing the administrative practices of REBs within Quebec’s health and social services network (HSSN) institutions. This latest review was made possible through the collaboration of CATALIS’ Ethics Advisory Committee, which comprises more than a dozen representatives of HSSN institutions’ REBs. These SOPs have also been reviewed by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services to ensure that they meet government requirements. The English version of the SOPs will be available shortly. CATALIS also coordinated the development of the Statement on Optimizing the Contract Negotiation Process by representatives from the Health and Social Services Network and the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ Direction de la recherche (research branch). This Statement targets pharmaceutical companies seeking to conduct clinical trials in Quebec and outlines the regulatory requirements which apply in HSSN institutions. It also incorporates the Charter of the French Language’s new provisions. The Statement also proposes using a provincial model Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (mCDA) and a pan-Canadian model Clinical Trial Agreement (mCTA) which are accepted as is if used without modification by private companies. The CATALIS network also produced a memo which aims to clarify stakeholders’ responsibilities in the context of activities carried out in participants’ homes. | Clinical Trials Quebec: Launch This Fall | CATALIS is delighted to announce the upcoming launch of its new Clinical Trials Quebec (CTQ) information hub. This innovative platform is the culmination of a joint effort with the CATALIS Network and was developed in partnership with the Quebec government. This unique platform will provide the general public with neutral, comprehensive, and high-quality information on clinical research, with a view to fostering patient engagement in clinical research and accelerating the development of innovative treatments for everyone’s benefit. The Clinical Trials Quebec hub will also offer a range of services to facilitate access to clinical trials for all Quebecers. This new CATALIS-powered hub aims to become an essential resource for clinical research in Quebec. Stay tuned for more information! | CATALIS Quebec is a non-profit partnership dedicated to the advancement and operational excellence of clinical research in Quebec. Since 2017, CATALIS Quebec has been carrying out a large-scale government mandate to optimize Quebec’s clinical research environment. The CATALIS network's efforts are focused on providing more Quebec patients with access to tomorrow’s therapies. | Follow us on X and LinkedIn to learn why Quebec is a world leader in clinical trials. | | | | |
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