Good Day BIO: BARDA funding and animal feed

Before the weekend, we have a quick read on why we need to fund BARDA and what the FDA Commissioner said about animal feed. (538 words, 2 minutes, 41 seconds)

Funding BARDA is key to pandemic preparedness – here's why

“We have to ensure that BARDA is properly funded so that it can continue to strengthen our preparedness and our response capabilities,” said BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath during an event with federal government leaders. Here’s what they said about how we can prepare for the next pandemic.

The context: Draft legislation making its way through the House would increase funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and other health preparedness initiatives—which BIO supports.

Why funding BARDA matters: “Stable funding creates important new opportunities for R&D, manufacturing, and testing,” said BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. “It prevents the inefficiencies caused when business ramps their efforts up and down as they switch between a war and peacetime footing against pandemics.”

Furthermore: “It provides the certainty industry needs to make lifesaving investments in novel platform technologies before it’s too late,” she said during the webinar, hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

BARDA invests in companies regardless of size: “We are interested in the technology and innovation,” said BARDA Director Dr. Gary Disbrow. BARDA is working now to leverage COVID innovations to “be better prepared for the next pandemic.”

Public-private partnerships are key to preparedness, speakers agreed. “We need to use best practices from government and industry working together, not only to build future pandemic preparedness but also for the U.S. to remain a leader,” said Dr. Tom Inglesby, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

BIO’s take: BIO supports “allocating funding today that will allow for a timelier response tomorrow,” said Dr. Michelle. 

Watch the highlights:

Let's talk about animal feed

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf reportedly agreed to look at the agency’s policy toward animal feed—here’s why it matters. 

The news: FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that he’s “committed to reviewing” the agency’s treatment of animal feed (H/T Agri-Pulse).

Currently, FDA treats new animal feed ingredients as “drugs,”as we’ve reported—which can cause approval to be delayed 3-5 years.

We need new animal feed ingredients. Natural enteric fermentation in a cow’s stomach causes them to belch methane—but feed additives can help reduce these methane emissions by up to one-third,

And we need them urgently: Methane emissions have been rising at alarming rates, says the energy and environment analytics company Kayrros—and they’re on track to worsen in 2022.

Biotechnology has been developing solutions—like feed additives that reduce methane in cattle belches or enzymes that enhance the digestibility of energy, protein, and phosphorus in livestock. BIO has promoted uptake of them, in comments to the USDA on tackling climate change and in Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance policy recommendations. 

“We do need to modernize our regulatory process as it relates to those kinds of feed additives,”Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in January. Other nations are already using new feed additives and getting “a market advantage by suggesting their products are more sustainability produced.”

President Biden’s Friday: Following the announcement that President Biden tested positive for COVID-19, White House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha will participate in a press briefing at 3 PM ET.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Enjoy the weekend.