On November 10, 2010, U.S .pharmaceutical giant Pfizer renewed its nearly 60-year presence in Canada and Québec by investing $22 million for a major rebuilding of its Canadian headquarters in Kirkland. The office redesign will allow the consolidation of all Canadian Biopharmaceutical and Animal Health head office colleagues under one roof, adding over 100 employees to the campus.

 “This significant investment represents Pfizer's commitment to maintaining its leadership role in the vital biopharmaceutical industry in Québec,” said Mr. Paul Lévesque, President of Pfizer Canada. “Québec has historically provided a favourable environment in which the industry has flourished, and this investment is yet another example of the benefits of those policies.” Press Release

On November 25, 2010, French company Medtech, specialized in the design of surgical assistive robots, set up operations in Greater Montréal to develop its North American activities. The new entity—Medtech Innovative Surgical Technology Inc.—who benefited from the services of Montréal International to establish itself in the Montréal metropolitan region—plans to hire about ten people over the next two years. 

“By opening a location in Greater Montréal, Medtech seeks to pursue its commercial development at the international level. Our company plans to set up a distribution and support network for Québec hospitals in the near term, and intends to extend the network throughout the North American market in the medium term,” said Mr. Bertin Nahum, President and Founder of Medtech. Press Release

On October 4, 2010, Japanese pharmaceutical company Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. opened its first Canadian office, in the Montréal borough of Saint-Laurent under the name Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical Inc. (OCPI). This will create approximately 20 jobs, especially in the administration and sales sectors. The company intends to develop a research sector in Montréal in the next three years and hopes to hire around 100 people. OCPI will begin by launching two products—Abilify (aripiprazole) and the IV Busulfex injection (Source: Le Devoir, October 30, 2010; City of Montréal, Montréal 2025, Imagining – Building, November 1, 2010). Press Release

On December 7, 2010, the Government of Québec awarded $300,000 to Skeltex, a company located in Boucherville, on the South Shore of Montréal, to support its development with the hiring of a management team and the preparation of a financing step. Skeltex developed a motorized medical cement injection system used to treat vertebral compression fractures (vertebroplasty). The total project amount is $1.8 million and it will contribute to the creation of two jobs. Press Release (French only)

On October 12, 2010, the Government of Québec and Génome Québec announced the results of competitions designed to support and foster 19 innovative research projects (including 17 in Greater Montréal) in the area of genomics. They will be funded by a $27.5 million investment over three years, amassed from public and private sources. Genomics was identified by the Government of Québec as a strategic technology in Québec's Research and Innovation Strategy (QRIS) announced in June 2010. Press Release

On December 7, 2010, McGill University, in partnership with Pfizer Canada, announced the creation of a professorship for the prevention of dementia and Alzheimer's-related diseases. The project has been made possible by a $2 million donation by Pfizer Canada, complemented by a substantial investment by McGill. The goal of this professorship, which will be held by renowned epidemiologist and psychiatrist Dr. John C.S. Breitner, is to identify the risk factors associated with dementia and to delay its onset before the first symptoms appear. Press Release

On November 18, 2010, the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) officially inaugurated the Sonomax-ÉTS Industrial Research Chair in In-Ear Technologies (CRITIAS). This Chair is aimed at developing the knowledge and technology required to create a “smart” earpiece that is wireless and energy self-sufficient. The activities of the Chair will overcome some of the barriers to innovative hearing products in the consumer, industrial, military and medical markets. Press Release (French only)