Mexico's corn ban, PPRV, avian flu, and more news

Welcome back, and Happy 2025. We kick off the new year with a look back at some news you might have missed during the break: USMCA dispute panel halted Mexico’s biotech corn ban, what happened with the PPRV, and the latest news on avian flu. (755 words, 3 minutes, 46 seconds)

USMCA panel halts Mexico’s biotech corn ban

A dispute panel announced on Dec. 20 that Mexico’s planned ban on imports of biotech corn would violate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The background: Mexico planned to ban imports of biotech corn under a 2020 decree, which was updated in 2023. The U.S. challenged the ban as unscientific and called for a dispute panel to rule whether it violates the USMCA.

BIO testified at the dispute panel—one of the few non-government entities asked to brief the panel and the only one supporting the U.S.’s science-based position.

Why it matters: With biotech corn comprising more than 90% of the U.S. crop, the planned ban threatened the United States’ largest corn export market, worth more than $5 billion in 2023. It also could have discouraged biotech innovation.

The reality: The ban was scheduled to go into effect last year, but it was never implemented as drought in Mexico drove record U.S. sales—real-world evidence of how higher-yield, drought-proofed biotech corn enhances food security.

BIO’s view: “Today’s decision by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute panel serves as a monumental victory for the future innovation of agricultural production technologies and the millions of consumers worldwide who stand to benefit from their use,” said BIO President & CEO John F. Crowley.

Read more in Bio.News.

Children with rare diseases call for legislation 

Children and teens with rare diseases candidly discussed their health challenges and legislation to enable new treatments during a Dec. 19 briefing for the Rare Disease Congressional Caucus.

“75% of us rare disease patients are children, and 30% of us do not live to see our fifth birthdays,” said 10-year-old Sati Cooper-McCann, whose Stickler syndrome lacks a cure, during the online briefing organized by the Rare Disease Legislative Advocates (RDLA) of the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases.

“For the first time in a long time, I had hope,” said Rafaella Kopelan, 17, who described learning of a treatment for her ultra-rare blistering disease. “I could now dream about what I would do once the burdens have lessened. So, I let myself make friends.”

The legislation we need:

• The Pediatric Priority Review Voucher (PPRV) incentivizes rare disease drug discovery.
• The Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act would allow children to cross state lines for treatments without losing Medicaid coverage.

What’s next: Neither provision was included in the spending package that passed Congress at the end of the year, but the bills have bipartisan support, giving hope for action from the current Congress, which opened Friday.

See the Bio.News story and videos of the children’s testimony.

What Else to Read This Week

Avian flu mutates in human, HHS adds funding, BIO member urges preparation. In the first human case of avian flu to cause severe symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined the virus mutated to bind with the upper respiratory tract of the patient, who was hospitalized in critical condition. The risk of spread between humans remains low. The Department of Health and Human Services announced that an additional $306 million to combat avian flu would go to the CDC, NIH, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The U.S. must prepare for a campaign to vaccinate animals against avian flu and other pathogens, explained Doug Ensley, DVM, Director of Veterinary Public Health at BIO member Boehringer Ingelheim, in an Agri-Pulse opinion column.

BIO’s comments helped prevent unneeded new regulation on genetically engineered crops. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) acknowledged the impact of public comments in their Dec. 19 announcement that they would not institute a proposal to change the Biological Integrity, Diversity and Environmental Health (BIDEH) policy regulating federal wildlife refuges. Read more in Bio.News.

BIO sets the record straight on biotechnology in food. A recent opinion piece in The New York Times acknowledges the critical role of biotechnology in increasing agricultural yields while using less land and resources—despite rapidly changing conditions and evolving diseases. However, the article also conflates several important concepts and misrepresents others, explains Sylvia Wulf, BIO’s Interim Head of Agriculture and Environment. Read more in Bio.News.

Beltway Report: What's Ahead in Washington

Today, Congress is set to certify the results of the U.S. presidential election. During the 119th Congress, which officially began Friday, BIO will continue to advocate for measures with bipartisan support that were included in an earlier proposal to fund the federal government but were removed from the version that ultimately passed on Dec. 21. These include extension of the Pediatric Priority Review Voucher for rare diseases and the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, legislation to provide greater transparency for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMS), and a full five-year extension of the  Farm Bill, which was extended for a year, BIO will also work on progressing a number of other priorities in the new Congress.