Biden’s NIH pick faces scrutiny over Pfizer funding.

Is Biden Nominating Pfizer to Run the NIH?

Concerns Raised Over Nominee’s Ties to Big Pharma

President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, has come under fire for her ties to pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. According to disclosures filed with Open Payments, Bertagnolli has received a whopping $247 million in research funding from Pfizer alone from 2016 to 2021. She has also received funding from other pharmaceutical companies, including Janssen and AstraZeneca, totaling over $21 million since 2016.

Critics, including Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Republican congressional candidate Robby Starbuck, have raised concerns about the “revolving door” between well-connected scientists and government positions. Starbuck went so far as to say that Biden is essentially nominating Pfizer to run the NIH, calling it “open, evil Big Pharma corruption.”

Biden, however, has defended his nominee, stating that Bertagnolli is a “world-class physician-scientist whose vision and leadership will ensure NIH continues to be an engine of innovation to improve the health of the American people.” Bertagnolli, who became director of the National Cancer Institute in 2022, has also chaired the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, which develops and carries out clinical trials for potential cancer treatments.

Bertagnolli has defended herself against the accusations, stating that the funds she received were actually contracts between the pharmaceutical companies and the alliance. She also emphasized that the funding was distributed across many different healthcare institutions to conduct the trials.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will take up Bertagnolli’s nomination, and some senators have already expressed concerns over conflict of interest. Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the panel, has stated that he would oppose any nominated health experts who were not prepared to “stand up and fight” the drug industry. The committee will ultimately decide whether Bertagnolli is fit to lead the NIH.