Biden Signs Executive Order to Boost Biotech to Counter China Threat
President Joe Biden has signed an executive order meant to boost biotech production and research in the United States, with a senior administration official saying that the presidential action was prompted in part by aggressive investment in the sector by China, posing a risk to U.S. competitiveness.
The White House announced on Sept. 12 that Biden signed the order that will launch the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative (NBBI) and that the measure seeks to “ensure we can make in the United States all that we invent in the United States.”
The initiative intends to encourage biomanufacturing in pharmaceuticals as well as in other industries, such as agriculture, plastics, and energy, the White House said.
It comes as other countries, including China, are investing heavily in biotech as they vie for dominance and try to become the world’s resource for biotechnology products and solutions.
“We Risk Falling Behind”
“The United States has relied too heavily on foreign materials and bioproduction, and our past off-shoring of critical industries, including biotechnology, threatens our ability to access materials like important chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients,” the White House said.
The White House, citing industry analyses, estimated that bioengineering could account for more than a third of global output of manufacturing industries by the end of the decade. This represents nearly $30 trillion in terms of value.
“The initiative will drive advances in biomanufacturing that substitute fragile supply chains from abroad with strong chains at home, anchored by well-paying jobs in communities all across America,” the White House said.
The measure will seek to grow domestic biomanufacturing capacity, expand market opportunities for bio-based products, enhance research and development, and streamline regulations for biotech products.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on a briefing call on Sunday that while the United States leads the world
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