Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), announced his intent to vote against the confirmation of Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, President Joe Biden’s nominee for director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sanders made this declaration a day before the HELP committee was scheduled to consider Bertagnolli’s nomination, along with other nominees for key roles in federal agencies.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Sanders acknowledged Bertagnolli’s intelligence and compassion but expressed reservations about her ability to challenge the influence of pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare industry. He emphasized that she had not convinced him of her readiness to combat the corporate interests in the drug market and advocate for substantial reforms within the NIH.
“Dr. Monica Bertagnolli is an intelligent and caring person, but has not convinced me that she is prepared to take on the greed and power of the drug companies and health care industry and fight for the transformative changes the NIH needs at this critical moment,” Sanders stated. “I intend to vote NO at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. This should be a vote of conscience.”
Sanders’ opposition to Bertagnolli’s nomination was rooted in his longstanding stance against high prescription drug prices. He had initially refused to support her nomination until the Biden administration outlined concrete plans to address this issue. Eventually, Sanders allowed the confirmation hearing to proceed after receiving a verbal “commitment” from the White House to tackle rising prescription drug costs.
During the hearing, Sanders pressed Bertagnolli on the reinstatement of the “reasonable pricing clause,” a provision used by the NIH in the late ’80s and ’90s. This clause mandated that drugs developed through public-private partnerships with the federal government must have “reasonable” pricing. The requirement was eliminated in 1995, amid arguments that it deterred potential NIH collaborators.
In response to Sanders’ inquiry, Bertagnolli affirmed her commitment to ensuring that the benefits of NIH research are accessible and affordable to all Americans. She stated that the American people deserved a fair return on the investment made by Congress in the NIH and that she would work to make NIH research benefits widely available.
Bertagnolli’s confirmation hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, is anticipated to be a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate surrounding healthcare policy and pharmaceutical industry influence in the United States.
