| | | | |  | | By Carmen Paun, Erin Schumaker and Daniel Payne | Presented by Arnold Ventures | | | | | |  Researchers have long seen bat viruses as particularly dangerous. | Getty Images | The Biden administration is getting more squeamish about funding virus studies, amid a GOP-led House investigation into Covid’s origins and Republican efforts in Congress to scale back virus research. The latest sign of administration reconsideration came last week when the U.S. Agency for International Development halted funding for a Washington State University program seeking to identify animal viruses that might cause a pandemic. The decision, first reported by the British Medical Journal, came after Jim Risch of Idaho, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized it and said he feared the risks outweighed potential benefits. A spokesperson for USAID, to whom POLITICO granted anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak on the record, said the move was part of a larger rethink of virus research. “The Covid-19 pandemic has led USAID and the U.S. government as a whole to assess priorities and approach to pandemic preparedness,” the spokesperson said. On the Hill: Republicans are targeting must-pass legislation to codify virus research restrictions. A House Appropriations subcommittee approved a draft fiscal 2024 funding bill for the Department of Health and Human Services in July that prohibits federal funding for so-called gain-of-function research, which seeks to make viruses more virulent or transmissible or both to help study them. Meanwhile, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) succeeded in June in convincing fellow members of the Armed Services Committee to amend the annual defense policy bill to bar the Pentagon from funding either the EcoHealth Alliance, a research group that has collaborated with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology on virus research, or the institute itself. That collaboration is at the center of the theory that the coronavirus was the result of a lab accident in Wuhan, the city where Covid-19 first emerged. The Biden administration in May restored funding for EcoHealth, but has barred any further work with the Wuhan institute.
| | | | A message from Arnold Ventures: Same service, same price. You should be charged the same price when you receive the same medical service, no matter where you get it. But today, patients, employers, and taxpayers are charged billions because big hospital systems are buying up small physician practices. And when the logo on the door changes, you pay over 14% more for the same routine services. It's time to make site-neutral health care a reality. Learn more. | | | | | | | 
Acadia National Park, Maine | Shawn Zeller | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Many Americans committed to staying up to date on their Covid boosters will get their sixth shots this month, if they achieved full vaccination with either Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech’s two-shot regimens. But most Americans aren’t convinced of the need: The most vaccinated state is Massachusetts, where the average resident has gotten 2.6 jabs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 28 states, the average is under 2. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Evan Peng at epeng@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check Podcast, Daniel talks with E&E climate science reporter Chelsea Harvey about the implications of lethal heat for policymakers and public health.
| | | | | | | A message from Arnold Ventures:   | | | | | | | 
New tools should make it easier to bring down maternal mortality. | AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh | A new mother died every two minutes somewhere in the world in 2020, the latest year for which the World Health Organization has data. And while understanding of the causes of their deaths has greatly improved, innovations that could save women’s lives aren’t reaching many of those who live in low- and middle-income countries. Even in the U.S., where the death rate for new Black mothers has doubled since 1999, many aren’t benefiting from maternal mortality advancements, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Giving birth is the oldest medical challenge that the human race has faced,” foundation CEO Mark Suzman told Carmen. “If it was seen as a higher political priority, and resource priority, it’s quite clear, at minimum, the U.S. should be able to have outcomes in line with those of other high-income countries,” he said. The foundation’s 2023 Goalkeepers report highlights innovations that could save new mothers’ lives: 1. Interventions that reduce bleeding after childbirth, the top cause of maternal death. 2. Multiple micronutrient supplements to replete pregnant women’s nutrient stores. 3. A one-time IV iron therapy to replenish women’s reserves during pregnancy. This protects against and also treats anemia, a condition that’s both a cause and effect of postpartum hemorrhage and affects almost 37 percent of pregnant women. 4. Antenatal corticosteroids, given to women at high risk of giving birth prematurely. The drug helps to accelerate a baby’s lung development. 5. Azithromycin, an antibiotic that reduces maternal infections during pregnancy and prevents sepsis, which causes 23 percent of maternal deaths in the U.S. 6. An AI-enabled portable ultrasound for nurses and midwives to monitor high-risk pregnancies in low-resource settings to ensure that risks are diagnosed and addressed early.
| | | | A message from Arnold Ventures: When hospitals consolidate, prices go up, and everyone loses. As big hospitals are gaming the system, patients and taxpayers are paying the price. Site-neutral payment policies would put an end to hospital consolidation, and protect Americans from more than $140 billion in overpayments every year. It’s no wonder that 85% of voters from both sides support site-neutral policy solutions. Now, Congress has the opportunity to protect patients and save taxpayer dollars. It’s time to put patients before profits and enact site-neutral health care. Learn more. | | | | | | | JOIN 9/19 FOR A TALK ON BUILDING THE NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY: The United States is undergoing a generational economic transformation, with a renewed bipartisan emphasis on manufacturing. Join POLITICO on Sept. 19th for high-level conversations that examine the progress and chart the next steps in preserving America’s economic preeminence, driving innovation and protecting jobs. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | |  NASA will now conduct cancer research aboard the International Space Station. | Getty Images | Cancer research in space, diversified clinical trials and more virtual care are among the new initiatives the Biden administration will unveil at a meeting of the White House’s “Cancer Cabinet” today. It’s all part of achieving President Joe Biden’s goal of reducing the cancer death rate by half over the next 25 years. Among the most noteworthy plans: — $240 million for ARPA-H The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health will fund efforts to prevent, detect and treat cancer, such as tools to detect the disease early. — A biomedical data toolbox ARPA-H, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Cancer Institute will integrate their cancer datasets to make them more helpful to researchers. — A campaign to diversify clinical trials A new nationwide network, ARPANET-H, will bring clinical trials to underserved communities. — Smoking cessation resources A $15 million program will seek to reduce menthol and flavored tobacco use. Another drive aims to bring down smoking rates among underserved groups, including American Indian, Alaska Native and Black communities. — Cancer research in space NASA’s Division for Biological and Physical Sciences will fund studies of the disease on the International Space Station. — Expanding virtual cancer care for veterans The Department of Veterans Affairs is adding 30-plus sites to its national virtual care oncology program.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S TECH & AI SUMMIT: America’s ability to lead and champion emerging innovations in technology like generative AI will shape our industries, manufacturing base and future economy. Do we have the right policies in place to secure that future? How will the U.S. retain its status as the global tech leader? Join POLITICO on Sept. 27 for our Tech & AI Summit to hear what the public and private sectors need to do to sharpen our competitive edge amidst rising global competitors and rapidly evolving disruptive technologies. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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