A new policy from the N.I.H. threatens to disrupt vital international collaborations essential for cancer research and treatment advancements.
New N.I.H. Policy Puts International Cancer Research at Risk
New N.I.H. Policy Puts International Cancer Research at Risk
Fresh restrictions on foreign payments may hinder groundbreaking studies that could save lives.
The National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) has recently implemented a policy that prohibits U.S.-based scientists from using federal grant money to pay their foreign collaborators, a move that is raising alarms within the research community. This policy could severely impact numerous ongoing projects that rely on international partnerships, including critical studies aimed at extending the lives of women with estrogen-fueled breast cancer.
Currently, approximately one in five women diagnosed with this common form of breast cancer faces potentially life-threatening recurrences even after long periods of remission. For such patients, early identification could allow for timely treatment, utilizing already available medications. However, one such pivotal research project involving scientists from Denmark may now face termination due to the N.I.H.'s new restrictions.
Federal health officials justified this policy change by citing difficulties stemming from inconsistencies in internal systems and databases, which complicate the tracking of sub-award payments. This concern had previously been highlighted by the Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.) in its reports. An N.I.H. official emphasized the critical need for "radical change," despite the fact that closer monitoring practices were already established in 2023 following past G.A.O. scrutiny.
The implications of this policy potentially jeopardize thousands of international research initiatives that have been instrumental in exploring cancer treatments and other health conditions that promise to enhance medical outcomes in the United States. As such collaborations unravel, both researchers and patients may be left facing dire consequences in the quest for medical advancements.
Currently, approximately one in five women diagnosed with this common form of breast cancer faces potentially life-threatening recurrences even after long periods of remission. For such patients, early identification could allow for timely treatment, utilizing already available medications. However, one such pivotal research project involving scientists from Denmark may now face termination due to the N.I.H.'s new restrictions.
Federal health officials justified this policy change by citing difficulties stemming from inconsistencies in internal systems and databases, which complicate the tracking of sub-award payments. This concern had previously been highlighted by the Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.) in its reports. An N.I.H. official emphasized the critical need for "radical change," despite the fact that closer monitoring practices were already established in 2023 following past G.A.O. scrutiny.
The implications of this policy potentially jeopardize thousands of international research initiatives that have been instrumental in exploring cancer treatments and other health conditions that promise to enhance medical outcomes in the United States. As such collaborations unravel, both researchers and patients may be left facing dire consequences in the quest for medical advancements.
