Our Story

“Avir Pharma was born out of strong family values—beginning in 1980, when Laboratoire Riva, a long-standing leader in the manufacturing of generic products in Quebec, was started by my father and his partner, Dr. Guy Pridham. I have been immersed in every aspect of this business since I began working here myself at the age of 16, culminating in my current role as President and diversifying into the specialty medicines arena with Avir. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far at Avir—the commercialization of many products that may not have seen the light of day in Canada otherwise. And much of this stems from what I learned in those early days—doing things differently, building a nimble team of experts, and never forgetting the importance of our mission. We are a family first; every relationship with our stakeholders is personal, and we aim to benefit our fellow Canadians with every decision we make.” — Olivier St-Denis