US clinical trials in China questioned by US lawmakers

[August 21, 2024]  By Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday called on the Biden administration to ramp up scrutiny of U.S. clinical trials conducted in China, citing the risk of intellectual property theft and the possibility of forced participation of Uyghurs.

Republican John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, and ranking Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi said U.S. drug companies have collaborated with Chinese military-run hospitals to conduct hundreds of clinical trials over the last decade, including in Xinjiang, home to China's Uyghur minority group.

"Given the historical suppression and medical discrimination against ethnic minorities in this region, there are significant ethical concerns around conducting clinical trials in (Xinjiang)," Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter dated Aug. 19 and addressed to Robert Califf, who oversees the FDA.

The letter, also signed by Democrat Anna Eshoo and Republican Neal Dunn, went on: "These collaborative research activities raise serious concerns that critical intellectual property is at risk of being transferred to the (People's Liberation Army) or being co-opted under the People's Republic of China's National Security Law."

The FDA did not respond to a request for comment.

The Chinese embassy in Washington said "accusations of intellectual theft" were "groundless," and described the allegations of genocide in Xinjiang as "sheer falsehood."

"China-US cooperation in health care...is mutually beneficial in essence," the embassy said, adding that politicizing and instrumentalizing normal cooperation was not in the interests of anyone.

Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party asks a question in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., February 12, 2024. REUTERS/Reba Saldanha/File Photo

The letter is a sign of growing concern over China's role in the biotechnology industry.

In April, Krishnamoorthi and Moolenaar's Republican predecessor Rep. Michael Gallagher called on the Biden administration to add seven Chinese biotech firms to a list created by the Defense Department to highlight firms it says are allegedly working with Beijing's military.

Lawmakers are also considering legislation that would restrict U.S. business with certain Chinese biotechnology companies including WuXi AppTec and BGI.

The letter asks the FDA to answer a series of questions about the trials by Oct. 1.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by David Holmes and Lincoln Feast.)

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