A major Chinese pharmaceutical company is stealing Americans’ genetic information to build a massive global database, lawmakers say.
WuXi AppTec, with offices in Massachusetts, Delaware and California, invents and tests them in the lab and on animals on which U.S. pharmaceutical companies base their drugs, some of which help treat cancer and cystic fibrosis, among other serious health problems.
But the company, which has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, appears to have collected a mountain of genetic information from Americans through hacks and corporate mergers.
Last month, a congressional committee approved the proposal a bill to pressure healthcare companies to separate from the business.
Ongoing research has shown that private genetic sequences via blood samples, DNA data and individuals’ medical histories have ended up in the hands of Chinese companies as a result of hacks and corporate mergers.
It is believed that sensitive data is being collected in China to develop drugs for the Chinese military, which lawmakers call a major national security risk, which is funded by US taxpayers.
Nearly $6 billion in profits for WuXi, which Congress warns is collecting US private data, comes from US contracts
WuXi is the target of congressional efforts to pressure US healthcare companies to separate from the drugmaker, creating crucial treatments for cancer and cystic fibrosis
Reports over the past five years have shown that companies like WuXi AppTec pose a threat to private information and intellectual property.
WuXi makes some or all of the key ingredients for expensive drugs such as Imbruvica, a leukemia treatment from Janssen and AbbVie that costs about $130,000 a year, and Trikafta, a cystic fibrosis drug that costs about $320,000 a year.
About two-thirds of Wuxi’s turnover last year came from the US. The company’s turnover has more than quadrupled compared to 2018, reaching $5.6 billion in 2023.
According to Global Data’s Pharma Intelligence Center Drugs by Manufacturer database, WuXi is behind 19 biosimilar drugs, or drugs derived from human or animal cells, not in the laboratory.
A bill in the House of Representatives targeted WuXi and linked it to the CCP’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army.
Lawmakers who authored the bill say the company has sponsored military operations linked to the CCP in China.
According to the House of Representatives, the chairman of WuXi thanked the CCP’s work in the company and linked his success to the support of the CCP. She also pledged to continue working with the CCP by establishing a “management committee” staffed by party officials.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee passed a bill on an 11-1 vote to restrict business with WuXi and another company called BGI, although the bill still has a long way to go before becoming law.
WuXi AppTec has received millions in tax incentives to create research and manufacturing sites in California, Massachusetts and Delaware.
The company develops molecules that can cure diseases and tests them in the laboratory and in animal models to ensure their safety and effectiveness.
Dr. Peter Kolchinsky, managing partner of the firm RA Capital Management, said: ‘Your American company has the idea, raises the money and owns the rights to the drug.
“But they can rely on WuXi or similar contractors for almost every step of the process.”
China is building a global database of genetic information that could be used to strengthen surveillance and build bioweapons, according to House Republican Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party.
He said: ‘The database includes Americans, whose DNA they are collecting through major cyber hacks, corporate takeovers and other methods to include the collection of DNA from 8 million pregnant women worldwide.’
WuXi insists it does not pose any threat to national security, has denied using genetic data and that attempts to restrict its operations in the US “depend on misleading accusations and inaccurate claims to propose pre-emptive and unwarranted bans against our company without due process. ‘
The company is a big boon to at least 200 biotech companies in the US
BGI, meanwhile, was recently added to the U.S. Commerce Department’s list of foreign entities considered a national security risk and has said it does not have access to Americans’ personal data.
Democratic Senator Gary Peters, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said: “It is important that when Americans undergo typical medical care, such as having blood drawn or other tests, that they have confidence that their DNA is not the blood will end up. wrong hands.’
A Reuters research BGI’s practices revealed that the company worked with the Chinese government to develop a prenatal test that they use to collect genetic data from millions of women to research the traits of entire populations.
BGI used its prenatal test, one of the most popular in the world and sold in at least 52 countries, which analyzes leftover blood samples and genetic data to collect information and record data about the woman using the test, including height and weight.
More than 8 million women worldwide have taken the tests.