Albert D. Friesen
Albert D. Friesen, born May 19, 1947, is a Canadian biotechnologist known for key biotech innovations. He started as the first full-time employee at the Winnipeg Rh Institute, later becoming president and CEO, and he led the development of WinRho, one of Canada’s early successful biotech products. He earned a Ph.D. in protein chemistry from the University of Manitoba.
In 1987, Friesen helped start the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (now BIOTECanada) and served as its first board chair. He founded Medicure in 1997, a company that sells cardiovascular products. In 2020, Medicure bought Marley Drug, allowing direct-to-patient medication sales.
From 2014 to 2017, he chaired the international board of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates). In March 2023, he received the Outstanding Leadership in Bioscience of the Year award at the Manitoba Bioscience Association (BAM) gala. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2025.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:52 (CET).