Halted NIH Clinical Trials List Reveals Slashed Treatments for Cancer, COVID and Minority Health

"Sickle cell disease, sleep disorders and lung cancer: these are just a few of the medical issues that were under investigation in at least 383 clinical trials that have had research grants terminated by the National Institutes of Health since February. That's about 1 in 30 of all the clinical trialstests of medical interventions in human volunteersfunded by the federal agency, which has a $48-billion research budget, according to a JAMA Internal Medicine study published Monday."

"Trials involving cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, mental health conditions, and other major sources of illness were among those affected, says study co-author Vishal Patel, a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The range of conditions represented in the affected group shows that the impact was not limited to a narrow corner of research. It included areas where many patients face substantial health burdens, Patel adds."

"In a statement, spokesman Andrew Nixon said the Department of Health and Human Services strongly rejects the study's findings. NIH currently funds and oversees more than 42,500 active, recruiting or planned clinical trials across every major disease area, he said. Selective focus on a handful of appropriately paused studies does not change that fact, and it should not be used to cast doubt on the overwhelming majority of trials that meet or exceed th"

At least 383 clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health had research grants terminated since February, affecting roughly 74,000 participants and representing about one in thirty federally funded clinical trials. Terminated trials spanned many disease areas, including sickle cell disease, sleep disorders, lung cancer, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, and mental health conditions. The terminations followed a White House administration effort to reduce costs and cut funding for studies viewed as misaligned with administration priorities. The Department of Health and Human Services disputes the characterization and notes that NIH funds and oversees more than 42,500 active, recruiting, or planned clinical trials.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com