PlantArcBio announced that it received final confirmation that its HPPD herbicide tolerant soybean and cotton products are exempt from USDA regulatory oversight as similar products have already been fully evaluated and deregulated. This exemption is a significant step for PlantArcBio and for its potential partners, as it dramatically shortens the time and reduces the costs associated with bringing novel HPPD tolerant soybean and cotton solutions to farmers. Without this exemption, the regulatory process could add years and tens of millions USD to commercialize such a product.

Weeds are considered the most notorious pests for crops as they can significantly decrease yield by at least 50%, if not treated. Use of Roundup herbicide is declining due to the resistance that some weeds have developed to that herbicide after 50 years of use. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to find replacement herbicides to control resistant and hard to control weeds, and the HPPD inhibitor herbicides are attractive candidates.

These are mainly used in crops such as corn and rice, which are naturally tolerant. Once soybean and cotton plants carry PlantArcBio's discovered gene, they will be resistant to HPPD inhibitor herbicides, and farmers will have the ability to spray and control weeds impacting crop yield.