Biotechnology: White House Releases Proposed Update To The Coordinated Framework And National Strat

On September 16, 2016, the White House posted a blog item, "Building on 30 Years of Experience to Prepare for the Future of Biotechnology" and released two documents intended to modernize federal regulation of biotechnology products. In July 2015, the White House directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a long-term strategy to ensure that the system is prepared for the future products of biotechnology, and commission an expert analysis of the future landscape of biotechnology products to support this effort. The proposed Update to the Coordinated Framework updates the 1986 Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology and provides a comprehensive summary of the roles and responsibilities of EPA, FDA, and USDA with respect to the regulation of biotechnology products. The National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products (National Strategy) sets forth a long-term strategy intended to ensure that the federal regulatory system is equipped to assess efficiently the risks, if any, of the future products of biotechnology. The Update to the Coordinated Framework is now available for comments per the Federal Register notice. Comments will be due by November 1, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. (EDT). Read the full memorandum on the Bergeson & Campbell P.C. (B&C^®) website.