Dr. Julia Levy, President and CEO of QLT Inc. (NASDAQ:QLTI; TSE:QLT) was named 2000 Pacific Canada Entrepreneur of the Year at an awards ceremony held last night at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Center. One of three finalists in the Health Care/Life Sciences category, Dr. Levy received the award in front of 700 attendees who also saw winners from seven other business categories.
"I am honored to be included among this distinguished group of finalists," said Dr. Levy, acknowledging fellow category finalists, Dr. Michael Abrams of AnorMED and Dr. William Hunter of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals. "I believe the very high calibre of business talent in this region represented by finalists across all eight categories speaks
volumes about the economic strength of the B.C. region."
Dr. Levy added that she accepts the award on behalf of the entire staff at QLT, whose hard work and dedication helped make it possible, referring to her team's work in photodynamic therapy and, specifically, the discovery and development of Visudyne(TM) therapy. Visudyne, a breakthrough treatment for age-related macular degeneration
(AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over 50, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2000 and is now available in 24 countries. AMD affects over 500,000 people each year.
"Dr. Julia Levy exemplifies a rare blend of entrepreneurial excellence - an incisive medical and scientific mind combined with the entrepreneurial drive and determination to develop and bring a drug to market that has and will continue to have a profound effect on people coping with AMD," said John Coppurthwaite, Director, Pacific Canada Entrepreneur Of The Year program and Office Managing Partner, Ernst & Young, Vancouver.
Dr. Levy will now go on to represent the Pacific region in competing for the Canadian national title of Entrepreneur of the Year to be announced later this year. The Entrepreneur of the Year(R) program, founded by Ernst & Young and sponsored by Canadian Business Magazine, BMO-Nesbitt Burns and the Global Television Network celebrates great entrepreneurs and heightens awareness of the economic effect of entrepreneurial ventures. QLT Inc. is a world leader in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for use in photodynamic therapy, a field of medicine utilizing light-activated drugs in the treatment of disease. QLT's innovative science has advanced photodynamic therapy beyond applications in cancer towards potential breakthrough treatments in ophthalmology and autoimmune disease. QLT's portfolio of products includes Visudyne therapy a treatment for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in men and women over the age of 50. For more information visit the QLT web site at www.qltinc.com Visudyne(TM) is a trademark of Novartis AG. |
