A bipartisan bill that would essentially ban US biotech companies from using certain Chinese suppliers failed to muster the support needed to hitch a ride to passage as part of a wider spending bill for the Department of Defense.
The House Rules Committee convened Tuesday to discuss more than 1,000 amendments, including the Biosecure Act, to be tacked onto the must-pass defense spending, known as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. The bill, and potential ban, has already pushed biopharma companies to search for new suppliers outside of China and rethink their supply chains.
But the bill isn’t likely to see quick passage. The committee agreed to tee up 350 of those amendments for upcoming discussion on the House floor, and the Biosecure Act was left out. Neither Democrats nor Republicans on the committee discussed or voted on Biosecure as part of the committee’s work on Tuesday.
The omission of Biosecure, which would require almost all biopharma companies doing business in the US to transition away from five Chinese companies named in the bill by 2032 — including BGI, WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics — raises fresh questions about whether the bill can pass as a standalone measure or add-on to another bill. Experts have pointed to the lame duck session after the November election as another time when the bill may be raised.
Committee staff said Biosecure wasn’t included in the NDAA because it’s outside of the spending bill’s scope.
WuXi Biologics’ stock was up by more than 14% on the Hong Kong stock exchange Wednesday morning.
Versions of the bipartisan Biosecure Act have passed out of both House and Senate committees, but have not been brought up for votes on the floor of either chamber.
A WuXi AppTec spokesperson told Endpoints News via email that it is aware that the amendment will not be considered as part of the House version of the bill.
“Several steps remain in the legislative process, and we continue to provide lawmakers and federal agencies with the facts about our company and educate them on the valued support we provide customers in the U.S. and around the world,” the spokesperson added.
Editor’s note: Article updated with comment from WuXi AppTec.