MISSISSAUGA, ON - January 11, 2024 - Hoffmann-La Roche Limited (Roche Canada) is proud to announce a dynamic collaboration with McKesson Canada (McKesson) which has resulted in solutions that will optimize the patient journey and potentially shorten overall time to therapy.

The two industry leaders brought collaborative teams together for an intensive six-week innovation challenge aimed at removing barriers, enhancing the patient experience, streamlining administrative processes, and expediting reimbursement within existing patient support programs. This collaboration demanded a creative approach to strategically design solutions within the constraints of available resources.

When a patient is diagnosed with a chronic condition or disease like Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or cancer, it can be challenging to navigate the complex healthcare systems. Patient Support Programs (PSPs) work to simplify the process and ease the patient’s experience.

“Roche created this innovation challenge to explore what could be possible in the patient support program space and to see what - with an open-minded partner like McKesson Canada - we could do differently, better, faster for patients,” said Roger Tam, Vice President, Legal, Compliance, and Innovation at Roche Canada. “Design thinking empowered Roche Canada and McKesson Canada employees to frame opportunities and create solutions that will deliver significant value to all stakeholders, especially patients.”

The innovation challenge culminated in a pitch competition, where teams presented their proposals to a seasoned panel of leaders from both Roche Canada and McKesson Canada. The pitches underwent rigorous evaluation, resulting in the prioritization of the highest-scoring proposal for implementation over the next six to 12 months. Ultimately, the panel found all solutions to be compelling enough for implementation; it was simply a matter of determining the optimal timeline for each.

The two winning innovations addressed the cumbersome administrative challenges experienced by both patients and healthcare providers during PSP enrolment. Through streamlined processes, these solutions not only minimize time and redundancy for all stakeholders but also significantly accelerate access to vital therapies.

“When you have a patient with a complex disease, you do everything you can to get them to critical treatment as fast as you can,” said Rebecca Yu, Vice President/General Manager, Biopharma Operations & Customer Experience, McKesson Canada. “The Roche McKesson Innovation Challenge shows what is possible when you change your approach, share a common goal and come together with committed partners. We are tremendously proud of our teams and inspired by the value they have created with new solutions that will positively impact care and experience for patients!”

McKesson Canada is a Patient Support Program partner to Roche Canada and works to simplify a patient’s health journey by helping them to navigate the various healthcare systems, including supporting the administration process to ensure timely access to treatment.

The success of this innovation challenge not only underscores Roche Canada and McKesson Canada’s ability to swiftly implement ideas but also marks a pivotal step towards fostering a proactive culture of idea sharing, collaboration and innovation. Roche Canada and McKesson remain committed to revolutionizing PSPs and setting a new standard for excellence in patient care and experience.
 

About Roche Canada
Patients and science are at the heart of everything we do. At Roche, our passion for science and our commitment to relentlessly pursuing the impossible for patients has made us one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical, in vitro diagnostics, and healthcare technology companies. And we’re adding our expertise in new areas, such as artificial intelligence, real world data collection and analysis and collaborating with many different sectors and industries.

We're an innovator across major disease areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, diabetes, ophthalmology, and diseases of the central nervous system.

Mississauga, ON (October 1, 2025) – McKesson Canada is pleased to officially announce the appointment of veteran executive Dimitris Polygenis as President of McKesson Canada.

With over 20 years at McKesson Canada, Dimitris Polygenis has led transformational growth across the organization with executive leadership roles across Retail, Pharmaceutical and most recently as the head of Specialty Health. He was instrumental in the success of Phase 4 Health, later integrated into McKesson, championing a new model for delivering innovative, patient-centric specialized therapies that helped redefine Canadian healthcare. Under his leadership, Specialty Health has continued its legacy of developing revolutionary programs including initiating bold investments in technology and data analytics to accelerate access to care, improve adherence, and elevate outcomes.

“It is a great honour to take on this responsibility, and I am eager to continue working with this talented, passionate team and our stakeholders across the Canadian healthcare system,” said Polygenis. “McKesson Canada has a strong history of leadership and innovation to meet the needs of our customers, providers, partners and the patients we serve, and my commitment is to continue to make a positive and lasting impact for all.” 

Mississauga, Ontario (March 24, 2025) – McKesson Canada is pleased to announce it has started treating patients with radioligand therapy (RLT) at its newest INVIVA infusion clinic in Toronto, the first time this groundbreaking treatment has been available to patients outside of a hospital setting in Ontario.  

"By offering radioligand therapy at INVIVA, we are expanding access to this transformative treatment for patients across the province, while also reinforcing our commitment to advancing patient care," says Dimitris Polygenis, President, Specialty Health, McKesson Canada.  

Radioligand therapy represents a breakthrough in nuclear medicine, offering a targeted approach that can significantly improve outcomes for patients with various forms of cancer. By delivering radiation directly to cancer cells, RLT minimizes impact on healthy tissue, resulting in a more precise and effective treatment.  

The organization has invested extensively in the infrastructure and certification needed to deliver nuclear medicine safely and effectively. Staff have undertaken comprehensive training, and the clinic has been licensed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which requires adherence to rigorous quality assurance standards.  

“While only a few RLT drugs are currently available in Canada – primarily to treat certain forms of cancer, such as prostate and neuroendocrine tumours – we know this is a rapidly evolving area of medicine,” says Lee Steele, Vice President, INVIVA & Chief Nursing Officer, McKesson Canada. “We felt it was important to invest in building a clinic that was capable of delivering these cutting-edge treatments in order to improve health outcomes for patients in Ontario.”