House passes act aimed at 5 Chinese drug services firms

The US House of Representatives passed the Biosecure Act on Monday, increasing the controversial legislation’s chance of becoming law. The legislation is intended to prevent US pharmaceutical companies that receive federal funding from working with five Chinese services firms—WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics, BGI Group, MGI, and Complete Genomics—citing concerns about national security. The bill, which has received solid bipartisan support since its introduction in January, passed by a vote of 306 to 81. Among legislators, 195 Republicans voted in favor and 2 in opposition, while 111 Democrats gave it a thumbs-up, and 79 rejected it. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate and must pass there before the legislation can be sent to the president for passage or veto. The bill claims that BGI, MGI, and Complete Genomics—all genomics companies—have ties to the Chinese government and potentially dangerous access to the genetic data of US citizens. Meanwhile, the