Former Sen. Roy Blunt: Trump’s latest China crackdown puts American lives on the line

Detailed summary

It could hurt American biotech far more than China’s.

During my 12 years in the U.S. Senate, I fought to ensure the United States dominated the global biotech industry. I did so not only because that leadership helps save American lives and drive economic growth, but also because it’s critical for our national security.

When American companies are second to none, we can respond quickly to public health emergencies without depending on foreign adversaries. I’ll always be proud that, in my role as chairman of the subcommittee overseeing the National Institutes of Health, I worked with colleagues in both parties to secure a nearly 50% increase in agency funding and accelerate research progress. That investment paid off during the Covid-19 pandemic, when President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed built on NIH initiatives to help end the pandemic and save countless American lives.

That’s why I’m worried about a well-intended, but counterproductive, new proposal from the Treasury Department that would restrict U.S. companies’ biotech investments in China.

It’s meant to enhance our national security by preventing American resources from building up China’s already growing biotech capabilities. Yet as written, the proposal is so broad that it could hurt American biotech companies far more than it hurts Chinese ones.

By hampering U.S. companies’ ability to develop breakthrough medicines as efficiently and quickly as possible, the proposal risks harming American patients and undermining our national security.

American drugmakers have often used acquisitions, joint ventures, and other partnerships to bring promising discoveries made abroad into our own research and development pipeline. As Chinese firms develop an increasing share of the world’s innovative drug candidates, these partnerships have only grown in their strategic importance.

These arrangements give American patients greater opportunities to participate in clinical trials and potentially gain access to lifesaving treatments.

Far from making America dependent on China, these…

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