New data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveal that the agency and its scientists collected $710 million in royalties from late 2021 through 2023. These payments, made by private companies such as pharmaceutical firms, are for licensing medical innovations developed by government scientists. A significant portion of these funds — $690 million — was directed to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and its 260 scientists.
An in depth report by the New York Post reveals that the vast majority of the royalties collected during the pandemic era went to NIAID, the subagency under Dr. Fauci. The NIH has been secretive about disclosing details of this private royalty complex. OpenTheBooks.com, an organization advocating for government transparency, had to sue to uncover royalties paid from September 2009 to October 2021, which amounted to $325 million over 56,000 transactions. A second lawsuit, with Judicial Watch as counsel, was necessary to release the latest data.
During the pandemic, royalty payments to the NIH more than doubled compared to the previous twelve years combined, amounting to $1.036 billion. However, it remains unclear if royalties from COVID-19 vaccines, particularly from Pfizer and Moderna (the latter having agreed to pay $400 million to NIH), are included in these figures. The NIH has not provided clarity on this matter.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key figure in the U.S. COVID-19 response, is set to testify before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to address potential conflicts of interest and transparency issues that have plagued NIH’s handling of royalties and FOIA requests.
Fauci’s deputy, Dr. David Morens, has been implicated in using strategies to circumvent the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), such as misspelling words and using physical couriers for messages. These actions have drawn significant criticism and calls for greater transparency.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has sponsored the Royalty Transparency Act, which has unanimously passed the committee stage and is awaiting a floor vote. This act aims to provide greater transparency regarding royalty payments to government scientists.
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Author: Sara Carter Staff
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