NIH nominee gets her day before Sanders' panel
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Monica Bertagnolli in her office at NIH. Photo: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
After five months of waiting, President Biden's pick for National Institutes of Health director, Monica Bertagnolli, today will get a confirmation hearing before the Senate health committee. And drug development and pricing is likely to loom large.
The big picture: Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) relented on holding up the nomination over his concerns about the Biden administration's lack of action on drug prices.
- He agreed in September to schedule this hearing after the administration moved to limit the price of a new COVID-19 monoclonal antibody from Regeneron.
- But he may not be through extracting concessions, or pressing Bertagnolli on what drug pricing actions she would be willing to take as head of the world's leading biomedical research agency.
- Any vote to advance the nomination likely won't take place until later.
Catch up quick: Biden in May nominated Bertagnolli to fill a key federal health opening that's been vacant for almost two years.
- The prominent cancer surgeon, who has been at the helm of the National Cancer Institute since late last year, doesn't have a lot of political baggage but could face tough questions about the direction of NIH.
- If confirmed, she would be the second woman to head the institutes. Lawrence Tabak has served as acting director since longtime director Francis Collins stepped down in 2021.
Zoom in: Sanders, arguably the most prominent drug industry critic in Congress, released a report in June that showed U.S. taxpayers pay higher prices for drugs developed with the help of NIH scientists compared to people in other countries.
- It called for the federal government to include a "reasonable pricing clause" in all future collaboration, funding and licensing agreements with manufacturers.
- The Biden administration has said it shares Sanders' concerns and pointed to provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation.
Sanders on Monday said he had met with Bertagnolli, but wouldn't elaborate. Asked if he got the commitments he was looking for, he noted the hearing is on Wednesday, adding, "Be patient."
- Sanders isn't the only Senate Democrat to raise concerns about drug manufacturers in connection with the nomination.
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) extracted a commitment from Bertagnolli not to seek employment or compensation from big drug companies for four years after leaving government service. Warren had expressed concern about the revolving door between former federal employees and pharma.
The other side: From the GOP side of the aisle, the Senate health panel's top Republican, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, will ask Bertagnolli about "her plan to address the eroded public trust in the NIH and the need to make the agency more transparent and accountable to Congress," according to a Cassidy spokesperson.
- He will also discuss the need for clear answers on her views on the use of fetal tissue and embryonic stem cell research, the spokesperson said.
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