Safety First: Making It a Reality for Biotechnology Products

Abstract

The Initiative is proposing a model for pro-active, industry-wide biosafety standards. This pro-active approach uses science and representative public deliberation to: anticipate and resolve biosafety issues as far upstream of commercialization as possible before developers seek regulatory approval of a product; stress public-private partnerships beyond government regulation; and produce biosafety policies that are financially and administratively feasible. Towards this end, the Initiative proposes moving forward to establish the standards and framework for an industry-wide safety program for genetic engineering (and other biotechnology) products, using a process that utilizes the principles of safety engineering that have been successful in other industries.