When Jerry Menikoff retired at the end of 2022 after leading the HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) for 14 years, he left behind an agency limping along with 20 employees, less than half of what it needed. For...more
When it comes to changes roiling the federally supported research landscape, April offered no letup from the first three months of the year; if anything, the pace and magnitude increased. In one instance, an agency—the HHS...more
On March 5, 2025, a US district court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from implementing a February 7, 2025, “Supplemental Guidance” notice that would establish...more
On March 5, 2025, Judge Angel Kelley, a federal district court judge sitting in Massachusetts, granted a nationwide preliminary injunction which serves to temporarily block the Trump Administration’s attempt to cap the...more
If NIH succeeds in imposing an across-the-board indirect cost rate of 15%, rough estimates indicate the University of Michigan could lose $119 million a year. Emory University could be down $75 million. For the University of...more
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published guidance late on Feb. 7, 2025, setting the indirect cost rate for NIH grants at 15 percent, replacing the negotiated indirect cost rates at many universities, which typically...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...more
Scientist and pharmaceutical researcher Andrew P. Mallon—who first reported to NIH and others in 2016 his suspicions that then-Athira Pharma CEO Leen Kawas falsified data in published papers—filed the whistleblower suit...more
In 2023, after two years of study, an NIH task force proposed a series of recommendations to improve stewardship of research it funds, including that the agency adopt “stopping rules” that would allow poorly designed or low...more
In recent months, NIH signaled that it, in the words of Director Monica Bertagnolli, understands the “difficult climate for our valued Asian American, Asian immigrant and Asian research colleagues who may feel targeted and...more
On the heels of a $7.6 million payment by Cleveland Clinic to settle allegations of False Claims Act (FCA) violations and unallowable sharing of passwords, Michael Lauer, NIH deputy director for extramural research, penned a...more
Stay on top of developments in healthcare research compliance - Whether you missed the 2024 in-person Higher Education & Healthcare Research Compliance Conference in New Orleans, or are looking for additional insights...more
Attorney Peter Zeidenberg was surprised to learn that NIH had successfully clawed back $3.6 million—plus a nearly 100% penalty—from Cleveland Clinic. The Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed the award funds were ill-gotten...more
New York Medical College (NYMC) officials thought the HHS Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) audit was wrapping up in December 2021, based on what “the original senior auditor” told them. But the auditor retired and work...more
Some funding applications submitted to NIH beginning Jan. 25 will face new requirements and undergo a revised peer review process. To prepare investigators and institutions, NIH launched a dedicated website with details about...more
Report on Research Compliance 20, no. 12 (December 2023) In a move that is unprecedented in recent memory, a federal agency has denied a request to extend the comment period on a substantive proposed rule, turning down a...more
Report on Research Compliance 20, no. 11 (November, 2023) City University of New York (CUNY ) has accused neuroscientist Hoau-Yan Wang, a CUNY faculty member and longtime collaborator with embattled biotech firm Cassava...more
Concerns have grown tremendously in recent years regarding noncompliance in clinical trial reporting. Shockingly, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) failed to disclose the results of over one-third of the clinical trials...more
At some point in the future, NIH may halt funding for clinical trials deemed too underpowered to produce meaningful findings or that fail to meet enrollment goals. To do this, the agency would have to adopt so-called...more
Report on Research Compliance Volume 20, Number 5. April 27, 2023 - - NIH should conduct “site visits to foreign facilities that perform NIH-funded animal research” or require third-party verification to offer “reasonable...more
Report on Research Compliance Volume 20, Number 3. February 23, 2023 - The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to revise the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for...more
The HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) is currently operating with a 62% vacancy rate among staff, as it has not filled open positions, agency officials say. OHRP has a staff of 20, but there are an additional...more
Stay on top of the latest in research compliance - Do you want to learn: - Current best practices for building and maintaining a research compliance work plan? - How to better shift your program’s research focus in...more
Report on Research Compliance 18, no. 10 (October, 2021) - An audit by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the National Human Genome Research Institute’s (NHGRI) pre-award risk assessment process concluded that...more
Report on Research Compliance 18, no. 8 (August, 2021) - “As a steward of the nation’s biomedical research enterprise, NIH is dedicated to ensuring that when data and biospecimens are shared, that it is done ethically and...more