BIOSECURE Act Excluded from U.S. Defense Bill, Boosting Chinese Biotech Firms

The BIOSECURE Act - intended to address national security concerns by restricting U.S. government contracts with certain Chinese biotechnology companies - has been omitted from the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), providing a temporary reprieve to targeted Chinese firms like WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics, and BGI Group.

For now, the absence of the BIOSECURE Act reduces the immediate risk of disruption for partnerships between U.S. pharmaceutical firms and Chinese biotech service providers. The act is likely to resurface in future legislation, potentially as part of defense bills or standalone laws under the next administration, but for now, its future will depend on evolving U.S.-China relations and national security priorities.

The following article originally appeared in Fierce Pharma.

With the China-targeting Biosecure Act absent from a key defense spending bill revealed over the weekend, it appears the controversial legislation will probably be passed on to the incoming Trump administration.

The Biosecure Act, which seeks to halt federal contracts with five named Chinese life sciences companies—WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics, BGI Group, MGI and Complete Genomics—over alleged national security concerns, failed to make it into the text (PDF) of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

The annual defense bill was seen as the best path forward for Biosecure to become law after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of the legislation in September.

While the five companies named in Biosecure are likely breathing a sigh of relief at the moment, there remains a slim chance that the bill could pass the Congress this year by hitching a ride with a continuing resolution scheduled for Dec. 20, which would allow federal operations to continue while the final terms of the defense bill are set.

Biosecure was first introduced in January by former Republican congressman Mike Gallagher. Since its debut, the bill has garnered widespread bipartisan support, with the House in September voting 306-81 in September in favor of the legislation.

Despite the win in the House, nearly all lawmakers who voted against Biosecure at the time were Democrats and several high-ranking lawmakers have since voiced their opposition to the proposed law.

Take Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, for instance, who recently told Reuters that the process for including named companies in the legislation was inconsistent.

In a post on X earlier this year, McGovern admitted he had "very serious concerns" about China's efforts to exploit the U.S. biopharma industry, steal sensitive information and endanger national security. Nevertheless, he branded the Biosecure Act a "weak bill" that could "actually make the problem even worse."

If Biosecure doesn't make the legislative cut this year, its path to law could be even more uncertain. As Republicans take control of the Senate, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is slated to chair the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Previously as ranking member, Paul cast the sole objection vote against Biosecure when it passed the committee in March. At that time, Paul voiced concerns over hidden anti-competition motivations behind the bill, as well as its ramifications of potential disruptions to biopharma supply chain.

Analysts and members of the biopharma industry have voiced skepticism of Biosecure, too.

In a recent CDMO industry research report from CPHI Milan, a “majority” of the 280 drugmakers CPHI polled said they were unsupportive of the bill. Among the companies CPHI questioned, just 19% argued that China-based CDMOs were “a threat and should be removed from Western supply chains” while 38% of respondents suggested Biosecure was a “politically motivated issue that sets a concerning precedent for the industry.”

Separately, major pharma outfits like Merck & Co., Gilead Sciences and Vertex Pharmaceuticals have argued that Biosecure could ultimately increase costs and delay clinical trials, as well as FDA submissions and the launch of new drugs, according to a recent GlobalData report.

For more, please find the original story source here.