Ontario Invests In Etobicoke Manufacturer to Strengthen Our Medical Technology Ecosystem

ETOBICOKE – Christine Hogarth, MPP for Etobicoke – Lakeshore announced that the
Ontario government is supporting an investment of nearly $3.3 million by International
Point of Care Inc. to expand its manufacturing capacity of lyophilized beaded reagents
(LBRs), which are components within In Vitro Diagnostic COVID testing device. The
province is investing more than $1.6 million through the Ontario Together Fund. This
project will help IPOC meet the company’s largest customer’s growth plan and create
25 jobs.

“Our government continues to spare no expense in the fight against the global
pandemic, making investments to protect people’s health and the economy,” said
Christine Hogarth, MPP for Etobicoke – Lakeshore. “Companies like IPOC are crucial in
providing Ontario with much needed COVID testing and other critical supplies.”
The Ontario Together Fund is helping Ontario businesses to fully develop their ideas to
innovate in our diverse life sciences sector,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic
Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Our government is proud to partner with
International Point of Care Inc. as they help make Ontario the home for next-generation
medical technologies.”

International Point of Care (IPOC) is a fully integrated In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD)
company (development, manufacturing, sales and Marketing) located in Etobicoke,
Ontario. IPOC was established in October of 2008 and operates a 36,000 square foot
manufacturing facility with specialized laboratory and manufacturing spaces which are
required to manufacture medical diagnostic tests for the Canadian, US and European
human diagnostic markets. The company employees approximately 75 employees in
the Etobicoke operation.

IPOC currently manufactures a number of In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) tests and biological
reagents for the IVD industry. As part of the current diagnostic effort to control the
pandemic spread, IPOC also produces numerous COVID-19 biological reagents and
assay components including lyophilized beads which are used during the manufacture
of several COVID-19 PCR/Antigen tests and Serology tests.

“We are excited about the OTF funding which is critical to our ongoing effort to bring
advanced manufacturing processes to Ontario. This investment has allowed us to
increase our capacity and bring important stable biologic reagents to Canada’s growing
medical IVD industry,” said David Ray, CEO of IPOC. “This pandemic has highlighted
the need for high quality, rapid diagnostic information to protect the health and safety of
Canadians. The expansion of Canadian made IVD products will be vital for both the
ongoing COVID efforts as well as the preparation of critical diagnostics tools for future
infectious diseases.”

This investment in International Point of Care Inc. aligns with the province’s recently
announced Life Sciences Strategy, a plan to make Ontario a global hub for
biomanufacturing and life sciences and improve our preparedness for future challenges.
It will create high-paying jobs, strengthen our healthcare system – and make it clear that
Ontario is a world-leading partner in developing the medicines, vaccines and health
technologies of the future.

Supporting innovative projects like International Point of Care Inc.’s is why Ontario has
invested an additional $50 million in the renewed Ontario Together Fund in 2021–22.
The fund continues to support local innovators and businesses to further enhance
Ontario’s domestic supply chain capacity, promote Ontario’s medical technology
ecosystem and build up our manufacturing sector to ensure the province is well-prepared for future challenges.

The renewed Ontario Together Fund is focused on supporting homegrown
manufacturing and innovation to combat COVID-19, and providing other goods critical
to the health, safety, and security of Ontarians beyond the pandemic.