This month, the US government issued a memo on updating the regulation of biotech products—products obtained through genetic engineering or organisms resulting from targeted gene manipulation. The update will address the fact that each federal agency dealing with biotech products (the EPA, FDA and USDA) currently has its own regulations and guidance, and that science and technology have progressed since the 1992 update of the 1986 Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (CF). The Biotechnology Working Group will be established, with members from the Office of the President and the regulating federal agencies, to improve transparency and efficiency in the regulatory process. The group’s one-year goals are to update the CF with clear roles for the agencies; establish a plan for long-term regulation that can scientifically assess risks of future biotech products in advance, while supporting innovation, and protecting the environment and health; and obtain an analysis by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine of the landscape for future biotech products to update policies.

Source: The White House