An influential member in Congress is slated to publicly disavow the closely watched Biosecure Act ahead of a planned House vote next week, according to a letter reviewed by Endpoints News.
The legislation would force drugmakers to restrict their work with two popular Chinese contractors: WuXi Biologics and its sister company, WuXi AppTec, by 2032. It also names three genomics companies: BGI, MGI and Complete Genomics.
James McGovern (D-MA), ranking member of the House Rules Committee, said in the letter that the bill would essentially ban companies without due process.
“In short, with no due process for named companies, Congress is relying on questionable data to make important national security decisions. It may be that some of the companies named should be on the list. But others may be punished that should not be,” he wrote in a letter to members of the House that is slated to be sent soon.
McGovern has been publicly quiet on the legislation, but this week, he asked some of his colleagues to vote against the bill, according to three sources familiar with the matter. A spokesman for his office confirmed his advocacy against the bill.
“Over the last several months, I’ve participated in a number of briefings and conversations related to this bill — in both classified and unclassified settings,” he wrote in the letter. “And all of those have led me to believe that HR 8333, as currently drafted, is a shortsighted way to address the real problem of foreign exploitation of the US biopharmaceutical industry.”
It’s unclear if McGovern’s letter will sway the vote on the bill. In McGovern’s district, WuXi Biologics planned to build a $300 million biomedical plant in Worcester, MA, that’s at the center of last-minute lobbying against the legislation.
Jon Weaver, CEO of the incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, told some members of Congress in emails this week that the Biosecure Act resulted in WuXi Biologics pausing work on the 190,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility, according to the communications reviewed by Endpoints.
It appears to be the first link between the legislation and the stoppage.
In May, The Worcester Guardian reported that WuXi Biologics denied the Biosecure Act had caused the company to pause construction on the facility. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
Weaver said in the email to lawmakers that WuXi Biologics promised to restart if there’s a government audit process to review companies, rather than “asserting their guilt with no mechanism for justice or reprieve.”
“They are confident they will be cleared in such a review and are undertaking a voluntary third-party audit to confirm this,” Weaver wrote.
In an interview with Endpoints, Weaver declined to share which legislators he contacted, or their responses.
“We’re focused on making this area in Massachusetts a global manufacturing hub,” Weaver said.
The legislation has been closely watched in life sciences circles. But few organizations have been willing to publicly express their positions for fear of triggering anti-China hawks who are concerned over national security and, conversely, companies that believe the legislation could slow down scientific progress.
If the House passes the legislation, a separate version of the bill would also need to clear the Senate.