US clinical trials in China draw questions on IP theft, forced Uygur involvement
- American drug companies have collaborated with Chinese military-run hospitals to conduct hundreds of such trials, US lawmakers say
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday called on the Biden administration to ramp up scrutiny of US clinical trials conducted in China, citing the risk of intellectual property theft and the possibility of forced participation of Uygurs.
Republican John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, and senior Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi said US drug companies have collaborated with Chinese military-run hospitals to conduct hundreds of clinical trials over the last decade, including in Xinjiang, home to China’s Uygur minority group.
The US Federal Drug Administration did not respond to a request for comment.
“Given the historical suppression and medical discrimination against ethnic minorities in this region, there are significant ethical concerns around conducting clinical trials in [Xinjiang],” Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter dated August 19 and addressed to Robert Califf, who oversees the FDA.
The Chinese embassy in Washington said “accusations of intellectual theft” were “groundless,” and described the allegations of genocide in Xinjiang as “sheer falsehood”.
“China-US cooperation in healthcare … is mutually beneficial in essence,” the embassy said, adding that politicising and instrumentalising normal cooperation was not in the interests of anyone.
