US legislators are working expeditiously to finalize the BioSecure Act, legislation that, if enacted, would restrict interactions between US companies and several Chinese life sciences firms. According to details obtained by FiercePharma.com from recent amendments to the draft law, existing contracts between US firms and the listed Chinese entities will be allowed to continue until January 1, 2032, after which national security oversight will be implemented. This effectively grants companies an approximately eight-year period to disengage from the listed entities in the BioSecure Act.
The bill’s language is scheduled to be finalized by the House Oversight Committee on May 15, 2024. Notably, genome sequencing companies BGI, MGI, and Complete Genomics, along with Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) WuXi AppTec and WuXi Bio are currently named in the bill. However, there are concerns that the list could be expanded on an ad hoc basis in the future.
John F. Crowley, CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), a US industry trade group, has issued a statement broadly supporting the bill. He acknowledges the legislation as a reinforcement of “the national security imperative of the biotechnology industry as a critical strategic asset of the United States of America” and appreciates the “reasonable timeframe for companies to decouple their reliance on China-based biomanufacturing.” Crowley emphasizes that the bill ensures “important biomedical research will not be slowed and that patients will have unimpeded access to life-saving medicines” during the transition.- Flcube.com
