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Law360 (April 22, 2020, 10:30 PM EDT) -- The doctor in charge of the federal agency tasked with developing a coronavirus vaccine said Wednesday that he was taken off the job after pushing for "safe and scientifically vetted solutions" rather than unproven drugs touted by President Donald Trump's administration, vowing to seek an inspector general investigation into his removal.
Until Tuesday, Dr. Rick Bright was the director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response. Now he's been shifted to a position with less sway at the National Institutes of Health, a move he said was a direct response to his resistance to providing the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine "on demand to the American public."
"I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science — not politics or cronyism — has to lead the way," he said.
Bright said he will lodge a whistleblower complaint requesting that the HHS inspector general look into the Trump administration's politicizing of the research and development authority's work. Bright said Trump also pressured him "and other conscientious scientists to fund companies with political connections as well as efforts that lack scientific merit."
"Rushing blindly towards unproven drugs can be disastrous and result in countless more deaths," the doctor added.
In a joint statement, Bright's attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks called his removal "retaliation, plain and simple." They said they planned to request a stay of Bright's termination and, pending an investigation, his reinstatement at the research and development authority.
"The results from the administration's refusal to listen to the experts and to sideline those like Dr. Bright who point out any errors in the government's response will continue to be catastrophic for the American people," they said.
Bright has spent his entire career in influenza vaccine development and pandemic preparation, previously working for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the World Health Organization. Before taking the reins at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, he led the authority's influenza and emerging infectious diseases division, where he focused on preparing the U.S. for influenza pandemics, the WHO said.
In particular, Bright slammed the president for promoting chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine "as a panacea," despite clearly lacking scientific merit. Bright said he was prepared to consider all options and think outside the box, but insisted those drugs be provided only to hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 while under the supervision of a physician.
"These drugs have potentially serious risks associated with them, including increased mortality observed in some recent studies in patients with COVID-19," he said in Wednesday's statement.
On Tuesday, researchers unveiled the results of a nationwide study of hydroxychloroquine treatment at veterans hospitals indicating the drug doesn't help patients combat the novel coronavirus and instead is associated with more deaths than standard care. According to reporting from the Associated Press, the study was posted on a site for researchers and hasn't yet been peer reviewed.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, on Wednesday called Bright's allegations "incredibly disturbing" and promised to push for answers. The Washington Democrat said in a statement that leaders should be listening to experts and science, "not pushing them aside."
"A global pandemic is not the time to shuffle personnel, or contradict and remove experts for wanting to do their job well," she said.
An HHS spokesperson told Law360 on Wednesday that Bright will be working on developing novel point-of-care testing platforms.
She said it was Bright himself who requested an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for using donations of chloroquine in the strategic national stockpile to treat COVID-19 patents.
"The [authorization] is what made the donated product available for use in combating COVID-19," the spokesperson said.
The White House declined to comment, deferring to HHS.
Bright began his career in influenza vaccine and therapeutics development at the CDC, focusing on avian and human viruses, per the WHO. He also worked in the private sector, as the director of immunology at Altea Therapeutics and as vice president of research and development and global influenza programs at Novavax Inc.
According to the WHO, Bright earned his Ph.D. in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from Emory University and his bachelor's in biology and physical sciences from Auburn University.
Bright is represented by Debra Katz and Lisa Banks of Katz Marshall & Banks LLP.
--Editing by Breda Lund.
Update: This story has been updated to include comment from HHS.
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