Health Care — HHS suspends funding to group at center of COVID lab leak

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  HHS suspends funding to group at center of COVID lab leak   The Biden administration has suspended federal grants to the infectious disease nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance (EHA), the group at the center of a controversy over the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19, and plans to debar it from receiving funding in the future.  © AP The decision from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) comes two weeks after bipartisan House lawmakers grilled EcoHealth President Peter Daszak about the group's work with the Wuhan Institute of Virology and whether it conducted controversial gain-of-function research.    The decision to proceed with debarment is effective as of May 15. It comes just one day before Lawrence Tabak, principal deputy director of National Institutes of Health (NIH), is set to testify before the select subcommittee on "discrepancies" between what NIH officials have previously said and what EHA's Daszak said in his testimony to the panel.    The Trump administration pulled funding to EcoHealth in 2020 amid the former president's dispute with China over origins of the coronavirus. It was reinstated in 2023 after an investigation, but the administration then debarred the Wuhan Institute from U.S. taxpayer funding for 10 years.     Republicans and Democrats have been stepping up their criticisms of Daszak and EcoHealth, and the administration's decision drew bipartisan praise.    EcoHealth's behavior "is a departure from the longstanding legacy of good faith partnerships between NIH and federal grantees to advance science and the public interest," Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), ranking member of the COVID select subcommittee, said in a statement.    Committee chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said the investigation is "far from over."     In her letter to Daszak, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions Katrina Brisbon cited a lack of oversight from EcoHealth over its grant recipients, failure to submit progress reports on time, failure to notify NIH when viruses studied at WIV grew beyond permitted thresholds and an apparent inability to disprove claims that it had violated terms of the grant.    EcoHealth now has 30 days to appeal the decision from HHS.    "EcoHealth Alliance is disappointed by HHS' decision today and we will be contesting the proposed debarment," a spokesperson for the nonprofit told The Hill. "We disagree strongly with the decision and will present evidence to refute each of these allegations and to show that NIH's continued support of EcoHealth Alliance is in the public interest."  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Wegovy could bankrupt U.S. health system, Sanders says in new report Blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy could bankrupt the U.S. health care system unless the price drops, according to a staff report released Wednesday from the office of Senate Health Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).  Unless prices dramatically decline, Wegovy and weight loss drugs could push Americans to spend $1 trillion per year on prescription drugs, the report concluded. 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It would be only the second annual decline … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: South Dakota AG: No wrongdoing with abortion petition callers (SiouxlandProud.com)  Planned Parenthood offers abortion pills via app to expand access in Illinois (WBEZ)  After a child's death, California weighs rules for phys ed during extreme weather (KFF Health News)  The Hill event Moms Matter: Closing the Maternal Mental Health Gap   Thursday, May 16 at 8 a.m. ET — Top of the Hill, Washington, D.C. | In person and streaming nationally.   Why is postpartum depression so often undiagnosed? What can health care providers do, and what breakthrough therapies and treatments are available? Join The Hill on May 16 as we discuss important questions concerning maternal mental health. Speakers include: Stacey Brayboy, SVP at The March of Dimes; Adrienne Griffen, Executive Director at Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, and more   Speakers include: Adrienne Griffen, Executive Director, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance  Stacey Brayboy, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Government Affairs, March of Dimes Click here to RSVP What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: USDA, FDA turf battles hamper responses to outbreaks like H5N1 bird flu (Stat)  FDA approves self-collection screening for virus that causes cervical cancer (The Washington Post)  US FDA approves expanded use of Bristol's cancer cell therapy (Reuters) What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: 5 revelations from Michael Cohen's Trump trial testimony Michael Cohen, a star witness in the Manhattan district attorney's hush money criminal case against former President Trump, has given perhaps the most … Read more Jimmy Carter's grandson says he is 'coming to the end' after more than a year in hospice care Former President Carter's oldest grandson said Tuesday that his grandfather is "coming to the end" after spending more than a year in hospice care. … Read more What People Think  Opinion related to health submitted to The Hill: We invest in our military to prevent attacks — why not also invest in preventing the next pandemic?    You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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