4 questions with Moderna – plus, how we're ending animal testing

It’s a busy Tuesday in a busy week. We’re gearing up for an important hearing on the value of biotech tomorrow and exploring how FDA and the industry are seeking to end animal testing. Plus, it’s National Ag Day AND International Day of Forests—and biotech has a role in both. (799 words, 3 minutes, 59 seconds)

But first – get ready for tomorrow's Senate HELP hearing

Tomorrow, Moderna will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where CEO Stephane Bancel will testify “about the price the company will charge for its vaccine after the U.S. government stops buying the shots, shifting that responsibility to the private market,” explains Bloomberg.

But get ready—because the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board is expecting what they call a “show trial.” Here are two things to read before tomorrow:

Bio.News Exclusive: 4 questions with Moderna President Stephen Hoge
We spoke with Dr. Hoge about the true value of the COVID-19 vaccine, cost considerations as we move to a commercial market, and why arguments that taxpayers funded the development of the vaccine are misleading. 

Wall Street Journal (Opinion): Bernie Sanders holds a Moderna show trial
“Mr. Sanders claims that taxpayers paid to develop Moderna’s Covid vaccine, and the government thus should be able to dictate its price. That’s nonsense. Before the pandemic, Moderna developed its novel mRNA platform with $3.8 billion in private investment. In spring 2020, it raised another $1.3 billion in private capital to scale up manufacturing,” says the Editorial Board.

FDA, industry seek to phase out animal testing

Biotech and animal activists are ready to phase out animal testing, and now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tasked with helping achieve this goal, explains our in-depth Bio.News story.

The context: The FDA Modernization Act 2.0, included in December's Omnibus spending bill, allows drug developers to use alternatives to animal testing when providing proof of drug efficacy and safety. FDA is expected to help.

Alternatives can work better than animals: 

• Bioprinting can create synthetic human tissue or synthetic organs called organoids.
• Organs on chips are devices lined with human cells.
• And computer models outperformed animals in cardiac tests.

Competing concerns: Animal testing is expensive and ethically questionable, and non-human primates are scarcer, with China limiting exports. Still, FDA wants “a very high level of comfort when it comes to safety and efficacy questions,” says BIO Chief Advocacy Officer Nick Shipley.

Reassurance needed: Drug developers must show “proof of concept, that the non-animal models can be used in place of animal models,” says BIO VP for Science and Regulatory Affairs Rachael Anatol, while FDA needs to show “they will accept non-animal models,” adds Shipley.

What’s next: “Biotechnology companies can develop these non-animal models to be used for this testing,” says Anatol. “There are a lot of companies out there that are already working on it,” adds Shipley. 

Dive deeper with Bio.News.

We highlight biotech’s role for National Agriculture Week…

It’s National Agriculture Day and the start of National Agriculture Week—just one day after a UN report warns of the urgency of climate action, highlighting the need for technology to make farming greener. 

The key finding: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) new report says increasing greenhouse gas emissions risk irreversible climate change.

The better news:We have the tools to stop this trend—we just need policy and investment to put them to work, the report says.

Agriculture’s role: Food and agriculture account for 30% of world GHG emissions, Bio.News reports. Meanwhile, climate is impacting agricultural productivity, says the IPCC.

Biotech agricultural solutions for climate change include animal feed that reduces methane, crops that sequester carbon, food waste reduction, and fertilizer alternatives. And agricultural products, like sustainable aviation fuels and biodiesel, can cut transportation’s GHG emissions.

But we need policy to support these solutions—like continued investments in biotechnology included in the Inflation Reduction Act, protecting IP for revolutionary new seeds, and better regulation of innovative animal feed.

… and for the International Day of Forests

March 21 is the International Day of Forests—and as Bio.News explains, biotech can improve the health of forests and the planet. 

BIO’s take: “Whether it’s developing poplar trees that serve as carbon sponges, chestnut trees that fight back against blight fungus, or trees with built-in pest resistance, biotechnology is primed to help us maintain healthy forest ecosystems,” says Lynne Finnerty, Director of Agriculture and Environment Communications at BIO.

The big picture: “We are on the cusp of a green revolution in forestry,” she says.

Along with fighting climate change, biotech can address new health risks as wildlife leaves the shrinking forests in search of food.

Policy can help here, too—like the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which BIO supports.

Go deeper into the forest with Bio.News.

President Biden’s Tuesday: Delivering remarks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit at the Dept. of the Interior, where he will highlight the administration’s actions and historic investments to advance conservation, restoration, and stewardship efforts and access to nature in communities nationwide. This afternoon, awarding the 2021 National Humanities Medals and the National Medal of Arts (which were missed during COVID).

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The biotech industry is gearing up for tomorrow’s Senate HELP Committee hearing with Moderna—read our preview interview with Moderna’s President Stephen Hoge on Bio.News. We'll also watch HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra testify on the administration's budget in several hearings.