Policy Concentrates BIOTECHNOLOGY MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
▸ Senator questions pending mergers in chemical, seed industries U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is raising concerns about the sudden rise in mergers within the chemical and seed industries. Increasing consolidation between the two industries could lead to higher costs for farmers dealing with “an already declining agriculture economy,” Grassley says. Earlier this month, Grassley sent a letter to officials at the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, urging them to collaborate on government reviews of proposed mergers when appropriate. “Department of Justice has been tasked with reviewing the Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co. merger, while the Federal Trade Commission has been charged with reviewing the acquisition of Syngenta AG by China National Chemical Corp. (ChemChina),” Grassley notes in the letter. “If the two agencies look at the transactions in a vacuum, the industry impact may seem more minor than it actually could be,” he writes. Grassley has scheduled a hearing in late September to focus on mergers within the chemical and seed industries that are under review by antitrust regulators. The hearing will also consider trends in consolidation of the two industries.—BRITT ERICKSON
DIVERSITY
CREDIT: USDA
▸ Cultural connection important for retaining minority science students Students from minority groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, especially those who are first-generation college students, leave science at higher rates than majority students. To help examine why, a team from California State University, Long Beach, surveyed 249 first-semester college students who had declared their interest in science, then followed up with a series of focus groups. As reported in CBE Life Sciences Education, the researchers found that many minority students are motivated to enter science because they think their work could
USDA relaxes guidelines for non-GMO food labels Manufacturers are now allowed to use the terms “genetically modified organism” or “GMO” on U.S. food labels to make claims that genetically engineered ingredients are not present in a meat, poultry, or egg product. Previously, use of the terms was only allowed on these so-called negative claims if they were part of the name of a third-party certifier, such as the Non-GMO Project. USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection Service released the new guidelines on Aug. 19, providing
Companies can use organic certification to support claims that products do not contain genetically modified ingredients, USDA says.
examples of labels that are acceptable for products that don’t contain GMOs or livestock that were not fed GMO ingredients. The action was prompted by a GMO food labeling law enacted in July. The law requires USDA to develop a national GMO labeling standard and rules for non-GMO food labeling. USDA relies on third-party certification organizations to verify that products do not contain GMOs. The new guidelines clarify that organic certification is sufficient to support a label claiming that a product does not contain GMOs.—BRITT ERICKSON
help give back to their community (2016, DOI: 10.1187/cbe.16-01-0067). That is especially true for first-generation college students, who were most likely to express these altruistic values as a reason they decided to major in science. Underrepresented minority students were also motivated by the opportunity to help improve life for their extended families. Better understanding students’ culturally connected career motives could help in recruitment and retention efforts, the authors conclude. “Finding ways to help diverse sets of students authentically identify more strongly with science is important for broadening and sustaining participation.”—ANDREA WIDENER
BIOLOGICS
▸ Janssen loses patent fight over arthritis drug A key patent for Remicade (infliximab), a top-selling rheumatoid arthritis drug made
by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Biotech, is invalid, a federal court has ruled. The decision, which Janssen pledged to appeal, is a victory for Pfizer-owned Hospira Healthcare and Celltrion Healthcare. The companies plan to launch a biosimilar version of Remicade in the U.S. later this year. A federal trial court in Massachusetts found that the antibodies covered by the disputed patent, which expires in 2018, were already disclosed in an earlier patent. In a separate proceeding regarding this patent, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office came to a similar conclusion, a decision that Janssen is appealing. Meanwhile, the federal court is also considering the validity of a second Janssen patent related to Remicade which expires in 2027. Pfizer’s Hospira has exclusive U.S. marketing rights to an infliximab biosimilar that would be made by Celltrion, a South Korean drugmaker. Remicade is J&J’s best-selling drug. In 2015, this biologic drug generated U.S. sales of nearly $4.5 billion and worldwide sales of almost $6.6 billion.—GLENN
HESS, special to C&EN AUGUST 29, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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