Good Day BIO: Boosters, Cures 2.0, Mexico, and more

We begin a short week with a roundup of health policy news plus what 76 Members of Congress (and BIO) said about Mexico’s treatment of agricultural biotechnology. (701 words, 3 minutes, 30 seconds)

Boosters, Cures 2.0, and the next pandemic

It’s been a busy week in health news—we'll jump right in with everything you need to know before the holiday. 

Boosters for all adults are here. Everyone over 18 “may” receive a booster shot six months after receiving their second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot, and “should” receive a booster two months after receiving one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, per CDC guidance released Friday. 

Do you have questions about boosters or mixing vaccines? COVIDVaccineFacts.org has answers. 

The innovative environment that allowed biotech firms to develop COVID-19 vaccines in record time would get a shot in the arm from Cures 2.0,an update to the 21st Century Cures Act—read the bill and a summary. 

The bipartisan legislationintroduced Tuesday would help modernize and increase diversity in clinical trials, increase patient education on and access to treatment options, incentivize research on drugs to fight antimicrobial resistance, and establish an agency to research the most difficult diseases.

“Cures 2.0 could help ensure scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs have the policy and regulatory environment they need to develop new medicines for patients around the globe,” said BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. 

Federal funding helped produce research on how to address the threat of a potentially devastating flu pandemic. The National Academy of Medicine released four reports covering global coordination, supply chains, non-vaccine interventions, and R&D. 

We need to develop a “universal influenza vaccine” ahead of the next pandemic, says Countering the Pandemic Threat Through Global Coordination on Vaccines: The Influenza Imperative, co-authored by Phyllis Arthur, BIO’s VP of Infectious Diseases and Emerging Science Policy—read the key findings or watch the report release. 

“A major influenza pandemic is more a matter of ‘when’ than ‘if,’” says the report, which has detailed recommendations like better coordination of governance and greater investment into research. 

And just in case you missed it...The House of Representatives passed a rushed and highly politicized measure giving Medicare the power to set prices on certain drugs—and now it’s up to the Senate to ensure that future cures are not put at risk. Learn more and urge your Senator to reject price controls and support future cures.

We must enforce USMCA, agree bipartisan Members of Congress and biotech industry

On Friday, 76 bipartisan Members of Congress wrote to President Biden calling for stronger measures to enforce our trade agreement with Mexico, specifically with regards to agricultural biotechnology.

Since 2018, Mexico’s government has defied the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), ignoring scientific logic and effectively halting approvals of biotech-based agricultural products, says the letter, initiated by U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Jim Costa (D-CA).

Work on biotechnology advances can stop when there is no hope of entering the Mexican market, BIO Board member Elena Rice, Chief Scientific Officer of Genus PLC, recently told the House Agriculture Committee. 

Smith and Costa point to USMCA as a state-of-the-art agreement, intended to bring the three countries closer together by enabling greater cooperation and facilitating trade on products of modern biotechnology.  Instead, the Government of Mexico has issued a series of vague statements that undermine the technology and raise concerns over the future of this important trade relationship.

“BIO appreciates Representatives Smith and Costa’s leadership on this issue,” said BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. “As I expressed when testifying on Capitol Hill this past summer, Mexico’s unscientific approach to products of agricultural biotechnology is only going to set us further back in tackling the climate crisis—and will only hurt every day Mexicans struggling to put food on the table. Because Mexico is such an important trading partner, their rejection hampers our innovators’ ability to develop new, greener technologies.”

Catch up: Unpacking Mexico’s economic and environmental paradox

President Biden’s Monday: Flying to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to celebrate “Friendsgiving” with service members and military families as part of the Joining Forces initiative. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The House and Senate are on pre-Thanksgiving recess. As the The Washington Post explains, they still have a lot to do before the end of the year.