U.S. House committee opens China trial probe into Merck and AbbVie

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House probes China drug trials

Highlights

A bipartisan U.S. House committee demands Merck and AbbVie disclose details on clinical trial oversight in China, including due diligence and data protection, by July 17.
Merck has conducted 224 studies in China since 2005 and AbbVie over 100 since 2007, with trials in Xinjiang and military-affiliated hospitals triggering security and ethics concerns.
U.S. lawmakers highlight China’s rise in global early drug development share from 8% in 2015 to over 32% in 2024, intensifying national security scrutiny and legislative oversight.

Committee demands details on China trial practices

As first reported by Reuters, letters dated Monday from a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers led by Representative John Moolenaar ask Merck and AbbVie to provide information by July 17 on clinical trial oversight in China. The requests cover due diligence procedures, data protection processes and standards used at trial sites, particularly in the Xinjiang region and at military hospitals.

The letters say there is no evidence that either company has engaged in illegal activity or wrongdoing, but argue that conducting clinical trials in China exposes U.S. companies to ethical and security risks. Lawmakers also say researchers in China have documented lapses in securing informed consent from trial participants, and they cite the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act of 2021 as reflecting best practices for avoiding such risks, even though the law does not specifically address clinical trials.

The committee says New Jersey-based Merck has sponsored or collaborated in 224 clinical studies in China since 2005, including at least 31 trials in Xinjiang and 40 at medical centers and hospitals affiliated with China's military. It says Illinois-based AbbVie has sponsored or collaborated on more than 100 clinical studies in China since 2007, including at least 17 sites in Xinjiang and 16 at military centers.

Merck says patient safety and ethical integrity are priorities of its clinical research program and that it follows all global guidelines. AbbVie declines to comment, while a spokesperson for China's embassy in the U.S. says there is "nothing credible" in the committee's actions and that China opposes efforts to politicize trade and technology issues.

Biotech rivalry sharpens national security pressure

Lawmakers frame the investigations as part of a broader concern that China's rise in drug development could also strengthen its military and technological capabilities. The letters say China has become the cheapest and fastest place in the world to run early-stage human drug trials through regulatory reforms, state subsidies and what they describe as questionable ethics.

That concern comes as China has gained share in global trial activity. One study cited in the report says the U.S. share of global early drug development programs falls to around 37% by 2024 from 48% in 2015, while China's share rises to more than 32% from 8% over the same period.

The inquiry also aligns with a broader push in Washington to tighten oversight of biotechnology links with China. A December report from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology warns that China has built a vertically integrated biotechnology ecosystem capable of challenging U.S. leadership, while Moolenaar is sponsoring legislation that would subject U.S. biotech licensing deals, joint ventures and equity investments in China to stricter national security review. The Biosecure Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump late last year, already restricts federal agencies' business dealings with non-U.S. biotechnology companies.

Our earlier coverage of Medicare’s new Bridge demonstration program explained how eligible seniors can access GLP-1 obesity drugs starting July 1 with an estimated $50 monthly copay. We noted that while the rollout could expand treatment access, it faces prior-authorization and capacity hurdles, and the benefit is temporary—set to expire in 2027 unless lawmakers extend or replace it.

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