EcoHealth Alliance received almost $100M in taxpayer funds since 2008 despite scandal

EcoHealth Alliance, a research firm under scrutiny for allegedly using taxpayer money to conduct risky research at the Wuhan lab before the COVID-19 outbreak, has received nearly $100 million in federal funding over the past fifteen years.

According to Dr. Richard Ebright, a critic of the NIH, upwards of $50 million was given to EcoHealth Alliance by the federal government since the start of the pandemic. The main government agencies providing funding were the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense, and NIH.

Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took action by suspending all funds allocated to EcoHealth Alliance due to evidence found in a staff-level report from the House COVID Select Subcommittee. HHS accused EcoHealth of willfully violating the terms of a multimillion-dollar NIH grant.

HHS later announced that formal debarment proceedings would be initiated against Dr. Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance. The suspension and debarment were related to Daszak’s roles within the organization and his failure to comply with grant procedures.

The decision to suspend Daszak came after a review of EcoHealth’s work, which showed that its collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology may have led to an increase in viral activity, violating the grant terms.

EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan lab have been at the center of controversy regarding the origins of COVID-19, with critics accusing them of conducting gain-of-function research. However, a spokesperson for EcoHealth Alliance argued that their research was not gain-of-function and could not have caused the pandemic.

The situation has raised questions about the use of taxpayer funds for potentially risky research and the need for stricter oversight in the scientific community. As investigations continue, the fate of EcoHealth Alliance and its president remains uncertain.

Overall, the case of EcoHealth Alliance highlights the complex ethical and scientific issues surrounding research funding and the need for transparency and accountability in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.