Good Day BIO: USMCA at one year

It’s the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)—but don’t celebrate yet, because we still have some concerns about the Mexican government’s approach to ag biotech and the ramifications for IP.

USMCAwas meant to be a 21st-century update to the 25-year-old NAFTA, and provide greater access to two critical markets for American agriculture, among other things.

The agreement entered into force on July 1, 2020. U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier, and Canadian Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng will meet today at 2 PM ET to discuss “lessons learned” from the first year of the agreement.

This meeting is critical—because Mexico’s rapid dismantling of regulatory institutions and international commitments with respect to ag biotech is concerning, to say the least.

Mexico’s food and drug regulator has not issued a new biotech trait approval since May 2018—with nearly all products far exceeding Mexico’s six-month regulatory statute limit to make a determination on an approval. The Mexican government has not provided any explanation for the delay. Then in December, Mexico's president issued a decree stating the intention to phase out GMO corn for human consumption by 2024 and refrain from future biotech approvals. 

Read: Unpacking Mexico’s economic and environmental paradox 

So, when we’re discussing “lessons learned” from one year in USMCA, we must address the Mexican government’s unprovoked rejection of technology—technology that has been proven to enhance the sustainability of agriculture at a time when we need it most. According to a bipartisan group of lawmakers, it's also important for President Biden to nominate a USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator so that they can begin participating in these discussions. 

Read: BIO's letter to USTR and USDA on trade barriers to ag biotech

But ag biotech is not the only problem with USMCA—it presents IP challenges, too. As negotiated, USMCA contained strong IP protections—including a guarantee of 10 years of data protection for biologics—but these were stripped out during the congressional ratification process.

This not only weakened IP protections in Mexico and Canada—it also sent a signal to the world (and specifically China) that protection of global IP for this sector was not a priority. We’re seeing the ramifications now, with both the Biden administration and China supporting the TRIPS waiver for COVID-19 technology. 

The bottom line: USMCA is the first international agreement to specifically address ag innovation and biotech products—but it falls far short when it comes to ensuring America’s scientists and researchers remain the leaders in the development of biotech innovation. BIO will continue to push the Biden administration to prioritize removing trade barriers to biotechnology that can address some of our world’s biggest challenges.

A new report on the biotech workforce gives us much to feel optimistic about—and highlights the resilience of the life sciences industry in what was undoubtedly its most challenging year to date.

The Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) and TEConomy Partners LLC recently published a new report, 2021 Life Sciences Workforce Trends Report. CSBI is a valued partner of BIO and the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA). 

The report gives us a number of reasons to feel optimistic:

In 2020, industry employment increased by 1.4%. Compare this to the private sector as a whole, which saw a 5.1% decrease in employment. 

The industry effectively adapted to remote work, with 87% of survey respondents saying remote work was implemented due to pandemic distancing protocols. 

This was a good thing: 28% said this allowed companies to compete and attract strong talent. 

“The pool for recruiting and retaining talent expanded by allowing remote work. We are now more open minded to non-local talent,” said one industry executive. 

65% of surveyed executives confirm advancing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce has been elevated as a strategic priority for their organization. In addition, 56% report having formal diversity initiatives in place. 

Partnerships are key to finding talent. 78% of surveyed executives said their firms have formal partnership(s) with educational institutions. In particular, two-year biotech programs are key to finding skilled technical workers for “middle-skills jobs,” which make up 1 in 3 jobs in life sciences. 

Looking ahead: In 2021, there is outsized demand for employees to fill high-skilled jobs, in addition to the 1-in-3 jobs for middle-skill occupations requiring degrees from trade schools and comparable certifications. Clearly, continued industry resilience is dependent on sustained workforce development. 

Read the full report.

During the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) Annual Summer Meeting last week, CSBA affiliates discussed topics including governance best practices, state and federal government relations, policy engagement, and the launch of the report. Affiliates shared 2021 priorities, and Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath reflected on her first year at the helm of BIO. This meeting typically occurs during BIO Convention, and CSBA looks forward to seeing everyone in person in San Diego in 2022!

More Health Care News: 

Endpoints News: Sanofi invests in the future of mRNA with plan to pump billions of dollars into next-gen cell therapy business
“Sanofi will invest up to $477 million per year to build out its ‘end-to-end’ internal capabilities in mRNA… The plan is to piece together a team of around 400, spread across R&D, digital and CMC to advance mRNA vaccine technology in non-pandemic indications.” 

Nature: The COVID pandemic’s lingering impact on clinical trials
“‘COVID-19 taught us that there’s a lot more flexibility in the clinical trials system than we realized,’ says Meg Mooney, associate director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland.”

President Biden’s Wednesday: President Biden and VP Harris will deliver remarks and convene Cabinet officials, Governors, and private sector partners to discuss the devastating climate events in the west and how to strengthen wildfire preparedness. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join a press briefing at 1 PM ET. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: “The House on Monday passed two bipartisan bills aimed at bolstering research and development programs in the United States,” reports The New York Times, explaining what makes these bills different from the U.S. Innovation & Competition Act passed by the Senate.