MedMira

When Hermes Chan boarded a plane to come to Canada in the late 1980s, running a leading biotech business wasn't on his agenda. And running that business from Halifax, Nova Scotia wasn't either. But sometimes fate has other plans.

Chan, who today is president and CEO of MedMira Inc., says, "When I left Hong Kong, the plan was to go to business school in Canada and then come home to operate our family's large restaurant business. I never knew I'd be living such a great life in Nova Scotia, with a thriving, meaningful business that makes a difference in people's lives."

Chan's direction began to change during his final year of high school in Toronto. He selected chemistry to fulfill the required course load and found he loved the subject. So, instead of business at McMaster, he opted for science at Acadia University in Wolfville.

Almost 20 years later, that change of plans has become good news for many people, especially those awaiting diagnosis of serious, infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. For Chan, it has meant developing an internationally recognized company in Nova Scotia, a province where he says, "There is a really great attitude for this kind of work – and people have strong scientific and technical skills."

In 1993, as a senior research assistant at Acadia with biochemistry professor Abdullah Kirumira, Chan invented the rapid flow-through diagnostic platform, a faster way to detect infectious diseases. That led to one of the first rapid tests for HIV, the core product upon which MedMira was built. The new test provided results in just three minutes instead days or weeks.

"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control have estimated that one-third of people tested for HIV do not return for results," says Chan. "The quicker the test produces results, the greater the chance a person will know whether or not they are infected, and whether or not they may infect others."

Today, MedMira has the world's only rapid diagnostic platform that can simultaneously detect HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, which was recently approved by the Health Ministry in the Russian Federation. Its rapid HIV test is the only one to have regulatory approvals in Canada, the United States, China, India and the European Union.

MedMira's corporate offices and manufacturing facilities, with more than 50 staff, are in Halifax. The company’s subsidiary, Maple Biosciences, is based in Toronto, and develops and commercializes diagnostic instruments based on two cutting-edge biosensor-based technology platforms.

"The research and development environment in Canada and particularly in Nova Scotia enables innovation and results in high quality, internationally recognized inventions like ours," Chan says. "There have been many ups and downs since that first discovery in the lab at Acadia, but definitely more ups than downs."

And even more positives of late. In November, MedMira announced an increase in European sales, with a major order of rapid HIV tests to Romania. The World Health Organization estimates that Romania has the highest number of HIV infections in central Europe, largely stemming from a massive infection of more than 10,000 institutionalized children through blood transfusions and infected needles in the late 1980s.

Later that month, shares in the company, which is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, jumped 90 per cent. The 36-cent gain, to close at 76 cents, came after MedMira's Reveal G3 rapid HIV test became available for purchase by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The agency's office of HIV/AIDS is responsible for leading efforts on the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a $15-billion multifaceted approach to combating HIV and AIDS in more than 100 countries.

Reveal G3, the most advanced test in MedMira's Reveal line, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only last year. As one of only five products on the agency's list having FDA approval, it offers purchasers another level of confidence in product performance and quality.

In the United States, MedMira products are distributed by Cardinal Health, through American Health Diagnostics. Each day Cardinal Health, the world's largest provider of health-care products and services, makes more than 33,000 deliveries of pharmaceutical and medical-surgical products. Cardinal's vice-president of scientific products applauds MedMira as having "the ultimate in field and technical support, product positioning and knowledge of the marketplace. They have driven with us over snowy mountain passes as well as through desert heat, proving to us how responsive they are to our needs and those of our customers."

So, it's not surprising that Chan was recently named the Top Bioscience Innovator of 2007 at The Economist's Sixth Annual Innovation Awards Ceremony and Summit in London, England. The prestigious international event celebrates achievers whose radical ideas have had a significant impact.

"This award recognizes many years of hard work and MedMira's unyielding commitment to quality," said MedMira chairman Stephen Sham. "Such global recognition once again demonstrates that MedMira is on the path to greater international success and profitability."

MedMira has several granted patents and more patents pending on a variety of components, concepts, and processes central to its diagnostic technology. And the company is constantly preparing applications for new products and filings for current markets, as well as seeking to enter new territories.

"There's a lot of positive momentum right now," Chan says. "And it's the culmination of a number of recent developments, including the firm's acceptance in markets like India and China."

That means a lot of time on planes and in meetings in far reaches of the globe, selling MedMira and its products around the world -- and selling Nova Scotia in the process.

"I am proud to tell people about our company, our province and our people," says Chan. "When I travel, there is never a better feeling than when I come home. There is a real sense of peace here, and it definitely feels like home."

And that's a great turn of fate for everyone.