In 1965, he founded Novopharm. In 2000, when he sold the company to Teva Pharmaceuticals of Israel for an estimated $430 million, it had sales of $750 million and employed 3,000 people. He then started a new company, Viventia (formerly Novopharm Biotech), which specializes in the discovery and development of products for the treatment of cancer. He is currently the chairman.
As of April 2021, he has an estimated net worth of $1.04 billion Canadian dollars (approximately $830 million USD), making him the 91st richest person in Canada.[2]
Philanthropy
Dan is well known as a philanthropist. His perspective on helping others is formed out of faith in truths from the Jewish Torah and Talmud.[citation needed] From the latter, Dan has noted writings in the Bava Bathra chapters, including: "Charity is equal in importance to all other commandments combined." And, "Who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses."[3]
He founded the Canadian Medicine Aid Programme (CAN-MAP) in 1985. This organization provides life-saving medicines and other aid to the sick in the Third World
In 1997, he received the Distinguished Business Alumnus Award by the University of Toronto Joseph L. Rotman Faculty of Management.
Aish HaTorah's Dan Family Building is named in his honour.
Family
He married Judith in 1958. She died in 1995. They had three children, Dr. Michael D. Dan, Aubrey Dan, and Andrea Dan-Hytman. He married Anna in 1996. They share no children. Aubrey Dan is president of Dancap Private Equity and Andrea Dan-Hytman is co-owner of Viventia Biotech Inc.