Quebec pain research gets $4.35M boost

A combination of $4.35 million in public and private funding is boosting the Quebec Pain Research Network (QPRN) by enhancing its research and education programs. The four-year funding package is being provided by the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) ($2 million), Pfizer Canada ($1.2 million), AstraZeneca ($750,000) and the provincial Ministry of Health and Social Services ($400,000).

The QPRN is a collaboration between Quebec's four university-hospital networks and 75 doctors and researchers specializing in chronic pain. Both AstraZeneca and Pfizer have significant R&D operations in the province focused on pain.

Led by Dr Yves de Konick, a Laval Univ-affiliated researcher, the QPRN is a unique model designed to streamline research for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain and transfer those findings into hospitals clinical settings and the private sector. The four participating universities are Laval Univ, McGill Univ, Univ of Montreal and Univ of Sherbrooke.

AstraZeneca and Pfizer are among the top R&D players in the Canadian pharmaceutical sector although their outlays have dropped somewhat for the most recent FY for which data are available. In 2006, Pfizer Canada Inc spent $131.8 million on R&D, down 26.3% from 2005. AstraZeneca Canada Inc had expenditures of $89.9 million, down 7.0% from the previous year. FRSQ invests approximately $90 million annually on research and education in the province.

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