Amendments to the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA) have received Royal Assent. The federal government announced the changes will strengthen mitigation measures against potential biosafety incidents and bolster national resilience and emergency preparedness.

The HPTA regulates the use and possession of human pathogens and toxins across all sectors, including research at universities and hospitals, vaccine development in the pharmaceutical industry and quality control in the food industry. This research requires strong security measures to prevent misuse.

“These amendments will reduce red tape and improve regulatory efficiency, while protecting public health and safety and supporting the important scientific research that takes place in Canada,” said Minister of Health Marjorie Michel.

The HPTA came into force on December 1, 2015. It supports both the biomanufacturing and global health security agendas in addition to Canada’s international obligations under the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention.

The amendments will provide clarity for regulated parties around roles and responsibilities, authorities, and give them the most up-to-date information on pathogens and toxins to better support the research they conduct. There are also added provisions related to remote technology access to containment facilities to respond to threats and support emergency preparedness

The measures will further boost security screening requirements and safeguards against potential threats, reduce the reporting threshold to prevent underreporting of potentially dangerous incidents, and modernize compliance and enforcement measures.