BioVectra chief commercial officer has played a pivotal role in firm’s success

Two decades ago, the Canadian CDMO BioVectra installed Heather Delage as its director of business development. She was named vice president of business development in 2014. In 2021, she assumed the role of chief commercial officer.

At the outset of her tenure with BioVectra, the company was beginning its journey to invest in large-scale cGMP manufacturing capacity.

A 30-year veteran of the life sciences industry, Delage has been foundational to BioVectra’s evolution from a small, founder-led business offering diagnostic products, intermediates, and raw materials to a full-service CDMO.

She served as general manager in 2018 and 2019 for the company’s large-scale biologics facility startup in Windsor, Nova Scotia.

Founded in 1970, BioVectra was originally named Diagnostic Chemicals Ltd. and focused on making small amounts of specialty chemicals under contract with a U.S. company. Since Delage joined the company in 2000, BioVectra has grown tenfold i…

Read more
  • 0

Why BioVectra has big mRNA biomanufacturing ambitions

Founded in 1970, BioVectra is a CDMO with specialties in microbial fermentation, complex chemistry and biologics. The company is looking to bolster its mRNA manufacturing capability.

In November 2021, the Canadian company announced its intent to build a new $79.6 million facility dedicated to producing and manufacturing mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. The initiative resulted from a joint private-public investment from the company and federal and provincial governments in Canada.

In April, BioVectra broke ground on the 36,000 ft2 mRNA Vaccine and Biomanufacturing Center located at its campus in Charlottetown, a city on Prince Edward Island.

The funding from the Canadian government followed after officials reached out to BioVectra with the intent of building up domestic manufacturing capability for mRNA- and plasmid-DNA-based vaccines.

Government officials ultimately decided to invest in BioVectra’s expansion, which will be structured into th…

Read more
  • 0