Advisors for Ontario life science teams
Research, clinical trials, then commercial sales. We help you build insurance that matches the stage you are in and the contracts you have already signed.
Where is your company right now?
A first conversation about your products, your stage, and the coverage your contracts and investors already expect you to carry.
01 / Coverage map
In life sciences, one product can trigger a claim at several points: how it was designed, tested, made, how the data behind it was handled, and how it performs once it reaches a patient. A different policy responds to each one.
01
Responds when a device, diagnostic or therapeutic product is alleged to have injured someone or damaged their property, and covers the everyday liability of running your premises and operations.
What we look at: who designs, makes, labels and imports the product, where it is sold, and whether a defect claim could surface years after the sale.
02
Covers financial loss caused by your professional work: laboratory testing, sample analysis, data interpretation, validation and advisory services, where nobody is physically hurt but a client still loses money.
What we look at: the reports and results your clients rely on, and whether your agreements promise accuracy, turnaround times or liability caps the policy needs to match.
03
Protects sponsors and research partners if a trial participant is injured, responding to claims that arise from the study protocol and the investigational product being tested.
What we look at: trial phase, participant numbers, site locations and consent documentation.
04
Covers the cost of responding to a breach or ransomware event, and your liability when patient information, trial data or proprietary research is exposed, altered or held hostage.
What we look at: what personal health information you store, who can reach your trial databases, and what your contracts promise partners about their data.
05
Protects the lab itself: specialized instruments, clean rooms, freezers and temperature-sensitive inventory, plus the income lost while you get back up and running.
What we look at: which instruments have no ready replacement, and whether one failed cold-storage unit could halt the whole operation.
06
Separate coverages for the decisions and assets behind the science: protection for directors and officers, disputes over patents and proprietary formulas, and the cost of pulling a product back from the market.
What we look at: investors commonly require D&O before a funding round closes, and Health Canada oversight raises the stakes on licensing, labelling and recalls.
02 / Who we help
A pre-revenue startup, a company running clinical trials and an established manufacturer do not need the same program. The mix changes depending on whether your name is on the label, you build for someone else, or you move product across borders.
From early research to first licensing deals, coverage shaped around Health Canada expectations, partner contracts, and the due diligence investors ask before they fund a round.
Designers and makers of instruments, implants, disposables and connected devices, where product liability and recall exposure grow the moment units reach hospitals and patients.
Assay developers and testing labs whose results drive clinical and commercial decisions, with errors and omissions coverage built for the cost of a wrong or delayed result.
CROs and contract manufacturers carrying responsibility for other companies' products, protocols and timelines, often under agreements that spell out which insurance each side must hold.
Businesses bringing regulated products into Canada or shipping them abroad: holding inventory, managing the cold chain, and answering for products they did not design.
Companies moving from trials into full commercialization, adding facilities, headcount, export markets and board obligations as revenue starts to flow.
03 / Our process
Underwriters price what they can understand. We put your quality systems, regulatory standing, contracts and controls in front of them clearly, so the quote reflects your real operation rather than a generic industry label.
Prefer to talk it through? Call Elia at (905) 361-9292
Research, clinical or commercial: where the company sits today decides which coverages are urgent, which are required by contract, and which can wait.
Sponsor agreements, hospital and distributor contracts, funding terms and leases all make insurance promises. We gather them early, so nothing you have already agreed to is left uncovered.
Participant safety, a freezer full of temperature-sensitive stock, one irreplaceable instrument, a single overseas supplier: we look for the places where one incident could stop the business.
Licences, quality certifications, trial documentation, recall plans and loss history, packaged so underwriters see a well-run operation and can price it with confidence.
A closed funding round, a Health Canada licence, a first commercial shipment or a new facility: each one changes the program, and we review before it happens rather than after.
A standard business policy was not written for a product that can be recalled, a trial that can be paused, or research data a regulator expects you to protect.
Life science risk is regulated, documented and contractual, so the coverage has to be assembled the same way: piece by piece, around the way your company actually works.
Quick check
Tick what applies to your company. Your answers suggest where to start the conversation. Nothing is saved on this page.
Insights
Short guides on the coverage questions we hear most from life science and device companies.
October 27, 2026
What sponsors and hospitals usually want to see before a first participant enrols.
November 3, 2026
Why trials, pilots, and distributor agreements can raise the question earlier than you expect.
November 10, 2026
What D&O covers, and why it often comes up during funding due diligence.
04 / Start here
Five things start a useful review: what you make or test, your current stage, where you sell, which contracts you have signed, and what milestone comes next.
Elia & Marilyn, Insurance Advisors · St. Andrews Insurance Brokers
(905) 361-9292 · Elia@standrewsinsurance.com
Step 1 of 2: your company
05 / Questions
Short answers first. Each one ends with what we'd need from you to give a real answer.
Usually product liability, errors and omissions if you test or validate for other companies, property cover for your lab and stock, and cyber if you hold patient or trial data. Investors often ask for directors and officers cover before a round closes. Your hospital and distributor contracts usually set the minimum limits, so bring those with you.
What we'd ask: what you make, what stage you're at, and which contracts you've signed.
Usually, yes. Sponsors, hospitals and research ethics boards normally want proof of coverage before the first participant enrols. Limits and terms depend on the trial phase, how many participants you expect, and where the sites are.
What we'd ask: the trial phase, expected participants, and site locations.
It responds if your device, diagnostic or therapy is alleged to have injured someone or damaged their property. That includes defence costs and settlements, and claims can arrive years after the product was sold.
What we'd ask: who designs, makes, labels and sells the product, and where it goes.
It depends on what you make, your stage, your revenue, where you sell, and your claims history. A pre-revenue company with nothing on the market pays far less than a device maker shipping internationally. The quickest way to a real number is a short review of your products and contracts.
What we'd ask: your stage, expected revenue this year, and where you plan to sell.
Call Elia George at (905) 361-9292 or send your details through the form above. Elia will ask a few questions about your stage and contracts, then tell you what to look at first. Insurance products are offered through St. Andrews Insurance Brokers.