Employees of the drugmaker WuXi AppTec, under U.S. scrutiny for links to the Chinese military, co-invented altitude sickness treatments with People’s Liberation Army (PLA) scientists. This is according to public patent records and science papers reviewed by Reuters.

Patent Filings and Research Collaboration

Reuters identified ten patent filings listing six of WuXi AppTec’s staff as co-inventors of altitude sickness drugs with six scientists from the PLA General Hospital in Beijing. This hospital is China’s top military medical school and research centre. These filings were made in the U.S., Europe, and China between 2018 and 2023.

The PLA prioritises treatments for altitude sickness, especially since it fought with India on their Himalayan frontier as recently as 2022. High altitude disease, which includes disorientation and fatal pulmonary and cerebral edema, significantly affects Chinese soldiers’ combat effectiveness.

Allegations of National Security Threat

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has accused WuXi AppTec, which reported U.S. sales of about $3.6 billion last year, of being a threat to Washington’s national security interests. However, WuXi AppTec denies these allegations. The company stated it “did not collaborate with PLA General Hospital or any other PLA-related entity” on the patent filings. They claimed their employees were listed as inventors due to previous research for a client, Shijiazhuang Sagacity New Drug Development.

Sagacity used these compounds in a later project without WuXi AppTec’s knowledge or involvement. WuXi AppTec also asserted that it has no special ties to China’s military.

Patent Ownership and Research Acknowledgments

Two U.S. Patent and Trademark Office documents from March 2021 show WuXi AppTec employees signed over patent rights to Sagacity and PLA General Hospital. WuXi AppTec explained this as standard practice and clarified that neither the company nor its employees owned these patents.

In a June 2022 study related to altitude sickness treatments, PLA scientist Kunlun He acknowledged WuXi AppTec’s team for their discussions regarding a Beijing-funded high-level defence science project.

U.S. Response and Legislative Proposals

U.S. Republican lawmaker John Moolenaar highlighted Reuters’ findings to advocate for proposed legislation restricting U.S. agencies and firms from cooperating with certain biotech companies, including WuXi AppTec. Anna Puglisi, a former U.S. counterintelligence officer, commented on the PLA’s significant role in public health, reinforcing concerns about national security.

China’s foreign ministry noted that many U.S. companies also have military ties and urged Washington to stop politicising tech and trade issues.

Military Researchers at WuXi AppTec

Reuters also identified WuXi AppTec employees listed as graduate students or researchers at Shanghai’s Navy Medical University. This university trains military pharmacy researchers under the Communist Party’s top military decision-making body. Cooperation between WuXi AppTec and the university has promoted drug R&D and launches.

WuXi AppTec emphasised that all military medical universities in China enrol civilian students and that internal security controls prevent unauthorised access to labs and files. They also stated that employees are prohibited from sharing company data or intellectual property for academic research.

Puglisi, now at Georgetown University, mentioned that Chinese companies must share information with authorities if requested under a 2017 law. WuXi AppTec responded that this law is subject to restrictions and that Beijing has not asked for proprietary data or confidential information.

With Inputs from Reuters