The chair of the U.S. House Select Committee ​on China opened national security investigations into whether five drugmakers including Merck and AbbVie have been involved in clinical trials conducted in China ‌that helped fuel the communist country’s military capability. In the letters to Merck and AbbVie dated Monday and first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, Republican Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan asked the drugmakers to provide by July 17 details of due diligence, data protection processes and other standards at their trial sites in China, particularly in the Xinjiang region and at military hospitals. The committee also sent letters ​to Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb. Shares of Lilly, Pfizer, Merck and Bristol Myers were down nearly 2%, while AbbVie was down 1% in ​early trading.
Merck said patient safety and ethical integrity are priorities of its clinical research program and it follows all global guidelines. ⁠AbbVie declined to comment. Pfizer declined to comment beyond confirming it received the letter.

Full report : U.S. House Committee Investigating Drugmakers Involved in China Drug Trials.