OTTAWA, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2020 / The Health Research Foundation (HRF) of Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) is pleased to announce that Dr. Srinivas Murthy, clinical associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and critical care specialist and investigator at the BC Children's Hospital, has been awarded Health Research Foundation of Innovative Medicines Canada Chair in Pandemic Preparedness Research. The research chair is made possible by IMC's member companies, who contributed $500,000 over three years to support the work of a researcher affiliated with a recognized academic institution.

'Investing in a research chair is one of the many ways our member companies are contributing not just to the fight against COVID-19, but also to encouraging research in Canada,' said IMC President Pamela Fralick. 'I am proud of our industry's response to the crisis, particularly the collaborative ways in which we have worked with researchers, with governments and with civil society to protect the health and well-being of Canadians.'

'This opportunity will provide me with the flexibility and the time to better work on responding to this pandemic, on preparing for future pandemics, and on ensuring that Canadian clinical research can inform clinical practice in an optimal way,' said Dr. Murthy.

Dr. Murthy's research focuses on pandemic clinical research infrastructure, and aims to establish Canada as a leader in adaptive, integrated clinical trials in hospitalized patients for the purpose of rapid knowledge generation for both this and future outbreaks. The main objectives of his research are to expand a national platform for sharing data from patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infections and to develop a research infrastructure for rapid clinical trials. The researcher will also assess barriers to and facilitators of implementation of pandemic-specific clinical trials in Canada and conduct a priority-setting exercise for severe acute respiratory infection research to establish a framework for generating critical questions for responding to future pandemics.

About Innovative Medicines Canada

Innovative Medicines Canada is the national voice of Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. We advocate for policies that enable the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines that improve the lives of all Canadians. We support our members' commitment to being valued partners in the Canadian healthcare system.

About Innovative Medicines Canada Health Research Foundation

The Innovative Medicines Canada Health Research Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and promote the value of health research in Canada. By applying the highest standards of scientific excellence, addressing health challenges and establishing partnerships, HRF, one of the leading private health foundations in the country, contributes significantly to the prevention and treatment of disease, to a better health care system and the availability for Canadians to access effective health products.

For further information:

Sarah Dion-Marquis
Director, Media and Public Relations
Telephone: 613-769-6510
E-mail: sdmarquis@imc-mnc.ca

SOURCE: Innovative Medicines Canada