A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from drastically cutting medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and cost jobs.
The new policy would strip research groups of hundreds of millions of dollars to cover so-called indirect expenses of studying Alzheimer鈥檚, cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses 鈥� anything from clinical trials of new treatments to basic lab research that is the foundation for discoveries.
Separate lawsuits filed by a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions nationwide sued to stop the cuts, saying they would cause 鈥渋rreparable harm.鈥�
U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston had temporarily blocked the cuts last month. Wednesday, she filed a preliminary injunction that puts the cuts on hold for longer, while the suits proceed.
The NIH, the main funder of biomedical research, awarded about $35 billion in grants to research groups last year. The total is divided into 鈥渄irect鈥� costs 鈥� covering researchers鈥� salaries and laboratory supplies 鈥� and 鈥渋ndirect鈥� costs, the administrative and facility costs needed to support that work.
The Trump administration had dismissed those expenses as 鈥渙verhead,鈥� but universities and hospitals argue they鈥檙e far more critical. They can include such things as electricity to operate sophisticated machinery, hazardous waste disposal, staff who ensure researchers follow safety rules and janitorial workers.
Under prior policy, the government negotiated those rates with institutions. As an example, an institution with a 50% indirect cost rate would get another $50,000 to cover indirect expenses for a $100,000 project. The NIH's new policy would cap indirect costs at a flat rate of 15% instead, calculated to save the agency $4 billion a year.
Dr. David J. Skorton of the Association of American Medical Colleges, one of the plaintiffs, applauded the ruling. 鈥淭hese unlawful cuts would slow medical progress and cost lives,鈥� he wrote in a statement, saying the NIH-funded research 鈥渂enefits every person and community in America.鈥�
The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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Lauran Neergaard And Michael Casey, The Associated Press
