The doctor in charge of the federal effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine said he was fired for refusing to push hydroxychloroquine and ...
The doctor in charge of the federal effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine said he was fired for refusing to push hydroxychloroquine and is now demanding an inspector general probe.
Dr. Rick Bright was the head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, until Tuesday, when the Department of Health and Human Services announced that he was being moved to a narrower role at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines partnership.
'I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit,' he said in a statement to The New York Times' Maggie Haberman, a reporter the president has attacked by name in recent days
Dr. Rick Bright told The New York Times Wednesday that he was fired from his position running BARDA because he wouldn't promote drugs include hydroxychloroquine
'I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science - not politics or cronyism - has to lead the way,' Bright said.
When asked about Bright's removal, President Trump said Wednesday that he didn't know who the doctor is.
'I never heard of him. You just mentioned a name. I never heard of him,' he said at the briefing. 'If a guy says he was pushed out of a job maybe he was maybe he wasn't, I'd have to hear the other side. I don't know who he is.'
Bright said he encountered 'clashes' with HHS's polical leadership, including that he was criticized for early investments into vaccines and supplies to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
'I also resisted efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections,' Bright said. 'Specifically, and contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit,' the doctor added.
Trump has again and again brought up hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID-19 cure, calling it a 'game-changer.'
Bright said he was willing to think 'outside the box' when looking for a coronavirus treatment he said he 'rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public.'
'I insisted that these drugs be provided only to hospitalized patients with confirmed Covid-19 while under the supervision of a physician,' he continued. 'These drugs have potentially serious risks associated with them, including increased mortality observed in some recent studies in patients with Covid-19.'
Bright then shamed members of the Trump administration for demoting him in the middle of the crisis.
'Sidelining me in the middle of this pandemic and placing politics and cronyism ahead of science puts lives at risk and stunts national efforts to safely and effectively address this urgent public health crisis,' he said.
The government official said he would request that the inspector general of DHS 'investigate the manner in which this administration has politicized the work of BARDA and has pressured me and other conscientious scientists to fund companies with political connections and efforts that lack scientific merit.'
'Rushing blindly towards unproven drugs can be disastrous and result in countless more deaths. Science, in service to the health and safety of the American people, must always trump politics,' the doctor added.
Under Bright's leadership, BARDA announced nearly $1 billion in support of vaccine manufacturing efforts by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Pictured: A technician analyzes a rapid test COVID-19 nasal sample at UMass Memorial in Worcester, Massachusetts
The New York Times reported that Bright hired lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, known for their work representing Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault in the run-up to his confirmation.
At BARDA, Gary Disbrow, Bright's former deputy, will serve as acting director, STAT News first reported.
BARDA was created in 2006 to aid drug and vaccine development projects for pandemics such as Ebola and Zika.
Bright joined BARDA in 2010 as its influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases Division director before he became the lead in November 2016.
As the agency's director, he oversaw the development and procurement of therapeutics against infectious diseases.
Under his leadership, BARDA recently announced nearly $1 billion in support of vaccine manufacturing efforts by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Additionally, under the most recent stimulus package, Congress voted to more than triple BARDA's budget, reported STAT.
In Bright's new role, he will reportedly be working on speeding up the development of diagnostic tests in a public-private partnership announced last week between NIH and 16 pharmaceutical companies, an HHS spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Gary Disbrow (left), Bright's former deputy, will serve as acting director of BARDA. Early reports of why Bright was demoted said he had personal disputes with Trump administration officials including Bob Kadlec (right), the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
'Dr Rick Bright will transfer the skills he has applied as Director of BARDA to the National Institutes of Health, as part of a bold plan to accelerate the development and deployment of novel point-of-care testing platforms,' a statement read.
'Dr Bright brings extensive experience and expertise in facilitating powerful public-private partnerships that advance the health and well-being of the American people.'
No other details were provided by the government regarding the circumstances of Bright's departure from BARDA.
Officials had previously told BioCentury that his leaving was a result of a personal fallout with several members of the Trump administration.
According to unnamed sources, STAT said Bright had personal disputes with Bob Kadlec, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, which oversees BARDA.
Prior to working at BARDA, Bright worked for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with research focused on influenza viruses, antiviral drugs and tests, according to his public biography on the HHS website.
He has also served as an advisor to the World Health Organization and the United States Department of Defense.
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