STAT+: Senate panel advances bill to ban some Chinese biotechs, with Sen. Paul taking up industry’s cause
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel today passed a bill aimed at preventing certain Chinese companies from doing business in the United States. The sole no vote was by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who worries that Congress is using anger toward China as a cover for advancing parochial interests.
Many in Congress are worried the Chinese government and military are using the rising dominance of national companies to gather Americans’ genetic information, which could be used for reasons that range from creating bioweapons to giving China a leg up in drug development.
The Biosecure Act, by Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.), is a response to those concerns. The bill would block the U.S. government from contracting with companies that do business with Chinese “biotechnology companies of concern,” and it names four companies that must be on that list: BGI Genomics, MGI, Complete Genomics, WuXi AppTec, and any subsidiary, parent affiliate, or successor of these companies.
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