Congress Targets Chinese Influence On Health Tech

A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes of cancer is among those that could be barred from the U.S. market due to ties with China, underscoring the potential trade-offs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing’s global influence, Didi Tang and Haven Daley reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The U.S. House recently passed the BIOSECURE Act, which cites national security concerns in restricting federal funding from benefiting Complete Genomics and four other companies linked to China. I Photo: Complete Genomics

The competition between the world’s superpowers is affecting Complete Genomics, whose employees, some wearing white lab coats stitched with U.S. flag arm patches, handle test tubes and huddle around computers in San Jose.

Its founder and chief scientific officer, Radoje Drmanac, expressed frustration that geopolitics is interfering with scientific progress. “It’s just a loss for research and for the industry,” Drmanac said.

The U.S. House recently passed the BIOSECURE Act, which cites national security concerns in restricting federal funding from benefiting Complete Genomics and four other companies linked to China.

These companies work with U.S. drugmakers to develop new medications or help doctors diagnose diseases. The biotech measure, which passed the House with a 306-81 vote, now heads to the Senate.