BioWorld International Correspondent

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush used his speech at the BIO meeting in Washington to renew criticism of Europe for its moratorium of GM crops, opening a new battle front in the long-running trade dispute by claiming the ban is contributing to famine in Africa.

"For the sake of a continent threatened by famine, I urge the European governments to end their opposition to biotechnology," he said.

Bush told delegates at BIO, "Your industry is helping this country and the world to meet a great challenge: sparing millions of people from starvation. America and other wealthy nations have a special responsibility to combat hunger and disease in desperate lands."

Emergency aid can be delivered in times of crisis, but, Bush said, "For the long term we must help troubled nations to avert famine by sharing with them the most advanced methods of crop production.

"In our country we see the advantages of biotechnology every day. Yet the great advantages of biotechnology have yet to reach developing nations in Africa and other lands where these innovations are now most needed."

Bush placed the blame for this squarely on the EU, which he said was "acting on unfounded, unscientific fears" in blocking the import of GM crops. "Because of these artificial obstacles many African nations avoid investing in biotechnology because they are worried their products will be shut out of important European markets."

These remarks should be seen in the context of the recent failure of the final round of negotiations between the U.S. and EU over the EU moratorium on GM crops. The U.S. subsequently announced it would make a formal complaint to the World Trade Organization.

Bush told delegates that the biotechnology industry is also on the front lines in the fight against terror. Under Project BioShield, the Bush administration is proposing to spend $6 billion over the next 10 years to develop vaccines against smallpox, anthrax, botulin toxin, Ebola virus and other possible bioterrorism agents.

"Project BioShield will give our scientific leaders greater authority and more flexibility in decisions that may affect our national security," Bush said. He expects Project BioShield to have spin-off applications. "As scientists work to defeat the weapons of bioterror, I know they will gain new insights into the workings of other diseases."

That in turn will provide significant benefits, particularly in developing countries where infectious diseases often go uncontrolled, he said. "Your industry must stay involved with this issue," Bush told delegates, and promised: "My administration is committed to working with your industry so that the great powers of biotechnology can serve the true interests of our nation and mankind."

Bush was followed on the podium by the man he appointed to head the FDA, Mark McClellan, who outlined his ambitions to streamline FDA approval processes. "The bottom line is to reduce the overall time for development and approval of safe and effective drugs," McClellan said.

He described initiatives he hopes will cut the overall time taken to approve drugs by 10 percent, and also pledged to work with companies to ensure they get applications right the first time. The aim is to remove the need to submit additional data, and to reduce uncertainty.