A (Partial) Vindication For Wuxi AppTec … And Global Outsourcing
By Louis Garguilo, Chief Editor, Outsourced Pharma
WuXi AppTec should take this as a dose of vindication. Even a partial victory, of sorts. At the least, some measure of progress.
The CDMO assuredly knows many of its supporters who helped persuade the U.S. Senate to reverse course and not include WuXi AppTec in The BIOSECURE Act as presenting a national security challenge, and wrapping this into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
I would not be surprised if the global, China-based CDMO is reaching out to the many customers – and some organizations – that have not stopped registering support.
And we know many customers have not relented. Just look at WuXi’s recent quarterly reports. (The newest one will be out over this weekend.)
As we stand at the watch of this most recent iteration of the saga that continues to be the BIOSECURE Act, overall it must be supremely bittersweet for the organization.
But we can only guess.
That’s because although WuXi AppTec has often discussed the Act publicly, for example via these past editorials, this time they decline to comment.
That is understandable. And wise.
As someone who has thought about corporate public relations and communications for decades, I’d consider this silence as sound policy.
The company knows this is not a final version, or perhaps outcome. The NDAA and the inclusion of this latest Act (now with an accompanying listing of companies; see: Will It Not Die? The BIOSECURE Act Back With Iterations) are still winding through Congress.
Yet as a decade-long editor of this publication, and a fair (tell me if you disagree) but obvious proponent through multiple editorials of NOT including WuXi AppTec in such legislation, raising this development as something for readers to take full notice of (if not mildly celebrate) is also prudent.
WuXi's refraining from comment is also wise because coming out with comments now, as one source told me, “could provoke a backlash among those who still favor last year’s version of the legislation.”
Even a carefully worded press release could be misreported and misconstrued.
On the other hand, I’ve been told that it’s a different scene behind the scenes. WuXi continues to provide U.S. lawmakers and federal agencies with “facts about the company and its history of many years as a trusted partner to the U.S. and global pharma and life science industries.”
I mentioned WuXi’s quarterly report above.
Perhaps their strategy here is let the (U.S. and global) biopharma industry make the point for them: the company is trusted, relied upon, and adherence to (as they have said in the past), “strict security and all oversight protocols.”
Short And Simple For Now
But for a few parting thoughts, I’ll end quickly here, referring readers to past and recent editorials for further thoughts.
China is, on many fronts, a global political and industry conundrum. The U.S. has every inclination at this point, it seems, to more directly confront these challenges – as it should.
However, the “confrontations” should be meaningful,the targeting accurate, and the tactics helpful.
Specific to our drug development and manufacturing outsourcing industry, a focus on shoring up U.S. supply chains is a postitive set of activities. If it needs to be done partially via tariffs, we’ll leave for other days.
Yet as concluded recently: We cannot decouple or delimit our development and manufacturing outsourcing into national components determined by governments.
Every biopharma organization should always select its suppliers with eyes wide open and optimal due diligence.
We are global, and need to stay that way to ultimately serve patients around the world.