Auchincloss: Boost U.S. Biotech Over China Protectionism — SkimNews
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- Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) said at the STAT Summit in Boston that Washington should fix itself and worry less about China, because "China is going to be excellent" and U.S. protectionism hurts American competitiveness.
- Auchincloss said he plans to introduce a bill modeled on Australia's clinical trial regime, which speeds research by allowing early-phase trials to bypass pre-approval evaluation by the national regulator.
- Auchincloss told Massachusetts lawmakers they need a villain and "the villain is the insurance company," urging them to boldly defend the drug industry given biotech's crucial role in the state's economy.
- Auchincloss criticized OMB Director Russ Vought for treating science as a "blue state subsidy," noting Vought's office proposed empowering the White House to override peer reviewers, terminate grants at will, and shape which research federal agencies fund.
- Auchincloss attacked FDA's Commissioner's National Priority Voucher program as politicizing decisions that should follow transparent standards, pointing to former Commissioner Marty Makary awarding psychedelics vouchers after podcaster Joe Rogan texted Trump about ibogaine research.
- Auchincloss said he is also interested in cracking down on pharmacy benefit manager business practices, reforming the 340B hospital drug discount program, and creating small business grants.
Why it matters: Auchincloss's stance reframes the bipartisan "beat China" instinct in tech and biotech as counterproductive: his forthcoming bill would specifically borrow Australia's trial-skipping approach to close the U.S. speed gap with Chinese biotech, while his attacks on Vought and Makary pit a Massachusetts Democrat against the Trump administration's scientific funding and FDA priorities in the same week biotech competitiveness is on the agenda.
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