Exhibit 99.1

QLT Inc. (logo)     887 Great Northern Way         t 604.707.7000
                    Vancouver, BC Canada V5T 4T5   f 604.707.7001
                                                  www.qltinc.com



news release

            QLT ANNOUNCES VISUDYNE(R) SALES FOR THIRD QUARTER OF 2005


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     OCTOBER 18, 2005
VANCOUVER, CANADA--QLT Inc. (NASDAQ:QLTI; TSX:QLT) today reported that its
alliance partner, Novartis, announced global Visudyne(R) (verteporfin) sales of
US$124 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2005. This represents an
increase of 9% over sales in the third quarter of 2004.

QLT will release its full third quarter financial results on Thursday, October
27, 2005, at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET).

QLT Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in developing
treatments for cancer, eye diseases and dermatological and urological
conditions. We have combined our expertise in the discovery, development,
commercialization and manufacture of innovative drug therapies with our unique
technology platforms to create highly successful products such as Visudyne and
Eligard(R). For more information, visit our web site at www.qltinc.com.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

QLT Inc. will hold an investor conference call to discuss the second quarter
results on Thursday, October 27 at 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT). The call will be
broadcast live via the Internet at www.qltinc.com. To participate on the call,
please dial 1-800-525-6384 (North America) or 780-409-1668 (International)
before 8:30 a.m. ET. A replay of the call will be available via the Internet and
also via telephone at 1-800-677-1564 (North America) or 402-220-1442
(International), access code 9614068.

A full explanation of how QLT determines and recognizes revenue resulting from
Visudyne sales is contained in the financial statements contained in our
periodic reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K, under the heading "Significant
Accounting Policies -- Revenue Recognition." Visudyne sales are product sales by
Novartis under its alliance with QLT.



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QLT Inc.:
Vancouver, Canada
Therese Hayes/Tamara Hicks
Telephone: 604-707-7000 or 1-800-663-5486
Fax: 604-707-7001

Visudyne is a registered trademark of Novartis AG. Eligard is a registered
trademark of Sanofi-aventis.

QLT Inc. is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the trading symbol "QLTI"
and on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "QLT."

The financial results for Visudyne sales in this press release are preliminary
and unaudited and are not a complete disclosure of our quarterly financial
results. Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking
statements" of QLT within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors that may cause our actual results to be materially different from
any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. These statements are only predictions and actual events or results
may differ materially. Factors that could cause such actual events or results
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to differ materially
from any future results expressed or implied by such statements are described in
detail in QLT's Annual Information Form on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form
10-Q and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and
Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements are based
on our current expectations and QLT does not assume any obligation to update
such information to reflect later events or developments, except as may be
required by law.






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