A conservative group is alleging that President Biden’s nominee to helm the National Institutes of Health has “problematic close ties with big pharma.”
In a new report, the American Accountability Foundation, a right-leaning watchdog group, highlights NIH nominee Dr. Monica Bertagnolli’s history with the industry.
It found that her associated research garnered more than $350 million in funding from pharmaceutical companies and that she opposed a key Trump administration policy meant to rein in drug prices.
“Our government’s medical institutions must serve the interests of the American people, not Big Pharma,” AAF told The Post in a statement.
“However, Dr. Bertagnolli’s extensive financial ties to pharmaceutical companies raise serious questions about her ability to lead NIH in a manner that is not beholden to special or secret interests.”
Biden formally nominated Bertagnolli, who currently helms the NIH’s National Cancer Institute, back in May. She is an award-winning surgical oncologist and a breast cancer patient herself.
The 64-year-old was the first woman to lead the NCI and appears poised to become just the second to helm the NIH, whose top post has been filled by an acting director for over a year. Her nomination requires Senate confirmation.
AAF evaluated disclosure data to conclude that research associated with Bertagnolli received more than $350 million throughout her career.
In 2022, for instance, her associated research accrued roughly $59 million from companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, per OpenDataCMS.
A White House official brushed off the critique of Bertagnolli, emphasizing that the $350 million figure largely references grants awarded to a non-for-profit that she ran.
“This not-for-profit ran large, nationwide clinical trials on cancer prevention. These studies ensured that rural communities were part of these trials,” the official said. “Funding for large clinical trials like these come from a number of sources, including companies participating in the trials. That’s standard.”
Numerous health officials have been associated with research that attained funding from pharmaceutical companies in the past.
For instance, former Food and Drug Administration Director Scott Gottlieb is listed as having his associated research receive nearly $1.3 million throughout his career, according to OpenDataCMS.
While those funds didn’t go straight to Bertagnolli, AAF argued she likely received a secondary benefit from attracting so much support.
“Funds have flowed through to her salary at [Boston’s] Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute where she is a researcher,” the report said, referencing her financial disclosure forms that cover 2022 and 2023. “She reported $1,609,198 in salary and bonuses from Brigham and Women’s / Dana Farber Cancer Institute.”
Cancer research like the type Bertagnolli was involved in is known to be expensive.
Bertagnolli also sat on the board of directors for Natera, Inc, a diagnostics firm, and Leap Therapeutics, a biotechnology firm, prior to her ascension as NCI chief.
She earned $26,425 in cash from Natera and stock valued at $291,131 in 2022, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
At Leap Therapeutics, she raked in $32,813 in cash an $72,841 in stock options for 2022, per SEC filings.
“Big Pharma bankrolled her career, and she has long been a friend and ally to them. Especially after the corruption and lies that came from the government’s medical agencies during COVID, the American people need to know that NIH will be led by honest people who serve them, and are not owned by massive corporations,” AAF added.
Another concern AAF flagged with Bertagnolli was her opposition to the Trump administration’s “Most Favored Nation” proposal that required Medicare not to pay more than developed countries for certain drugs.
“This model, which imposes a nationwide, mandatory experiment without the ability to actually learn whether this is an optimal approach, will drastically cut reimbursement for a number of life-saving cancer drug treatments, significantly limiting access to care for Medicare beneficiaries,” Bertagnolli said while serving as the board chair of the Association of Clinical Oncology.
In his nomination announcement, President Biden hailed Bertagnolli as 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.”
