International Regulation — the OECD And EC

Because research and commercial uses of biotechnology are now so pervasive, all major industrialized nations have already considered how they will regulate biotechnology-derived products. As the preceding chapters indicate, many countries have independently developed at least a preliminary strategy for addressing biotechnology. Most countries, however, have also recognized that international harmonization of regulatory oversight of biotechnology will be beneficial, e.g., reduced trade barriers and improved regulatory methodologies.1 As Brian Ager, Secretary of the UK’s ACGM wrote, “Biotechnology is an international industry and there are advantages in harmonization of national approaches towards safety and regulations in this area.”2