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December 20, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Ban on 'Biopharm' Crops Urged"
USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (12/18/02) P. 7D; Weise, Elizabeth
"Biopharm" crops, plants genetically engineered to contain pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, are opposed by the Genetically Engineered Food Alert, which is a coalition of health, consumer, and environmental groups. The coalition has filed a legal petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop the planning of such crops due to fear that they will introduce hazardous drugs, vaccines, and industrial chemicals to the general food supply. For example, Texas-based ProdiGene, which was developing a pig vaccine from corn, accidentally contaminated 500,000 bushels of soybeans in Nebraska. Since biopharm crops are important to the development of new drugs and vaccines, researchers could be faced with growing such crops under glass or in physical isolation, explains Arizona State University researcher Charles Arntzen.
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