May 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives

committee on China has asked the FBI and the intelligence

community for a briefing on GenScript Biotechnology Co

and three subsidiaries to determine if the Chinese Communist

Party has influence over their operations.

In a letter dated May 30 to the FBI and the U.S. office of

the director of national intelligence, committee chair John

Moolenaar and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi said

GenScript's work with U.S. companies and the government raises

concerns about the intellectual property of U.S. firms and could

help improve China's biotech capabilities.

The three subsidiaries cited in the letter are Bestzyme,

Legend Biotech ( LEGN ) and ProBio.

Drugmaker Legend partnered with Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) in

2017 to develop cancer cell therapy Carvykti. They sold $500

million of the drug last year and expect sales to eventually top

$5 billion a year.

A spokesperson for GenScript said they were founded in New

Jersey and "do not take direction from any government." They

added that they looked forward to speaking with the House

committee.

Legend and J&J did not immediately respond to requests for

comment. Nor did the other subsidiaries. GenScript is a

pharmaceutical research and manufacturing service provider with

over 200,000 customers in over 100 countries and sales,

manufacturing, and research and development presence in China,

the U.S., Europe and the Asia Pacific, according to its website.

The lawmakers' interest in GenScript comes two weeks after

another committee in the House approved a bill that would

restrict business with China's WuXi AppTec, WuXi

Biologics BGI, MGI and Complete Genomics, and other

possible biotech companies of concern.

The bill must still get through the full House and Senate

before President Joe Biden could sign it into law. But, if

passed, it would push U.S. pharmaceutical and healthcare

companies to lessen their reliance on Chinese research and

manufacturing.

"GenScript's role as a Contract Development and

Manufacturing Organization, including services such as the

production of custom gene synthesis for companies and U.S.

government entities, raises concerns about potential risks to

the intellectual property of U.S. firms and GenScript's broader

role in advancing the PRC's (China) biotech capabilities," the

letter said.