A congressional investigation discovered that EcoHealth Alliance and Daszak facilitated gain-of-function analysis in Wuhan, China, with out correct oversight.
The Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) has formally banned pandemic analysis nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance and its former president, Peter Daszak, from receiving federal funding for 5 years.
“After contemplating the knowledge within the administrative file on this matter, together with the knowledge offered within the above-mentioned responses, I’ve decided {that a} interval of debarment for Dr. Daszak is important to guard the Federal Authorities’s enterprise pursuits,” an HHS official, whose title was redacted, wrote in one of many letters. An almost equivalent justification featured within the different letter.
The subcommittee stated its investigation discovered that EcoHealth Alliance and Daszak facilitated gain-of-function analysis in Wuhan, China, with out correct oversight and violated a number of necessities of their multimillion-dollar Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) grant.
“Justice for the American individuals was served right now,“ Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) stated in a Jan. 17 assertion. ”Unhealthy actor EcoHealth Alliance and its corrupt former President, Dr. Peter Daszak, have been formally debarred by HHS for utilizing taxpayer funds to facilitate harmful gain-of-function analysis in China. At this time’s determination is just not solely a victory for the U.S. taxpayer, but additionally for American nationwide safety and the security of residents worldwide.”
EcoHealth Alliance didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the choice. Nonetheless, in a lot of rebuttals posted on its webpage, the corporate denied that its cash contributed to gain-of-function analysis and stated it believes the virus behind COVID-19 originated in nature reasonably than in a lab.
“Willful obfuscation and fearmongering over vital scientific analysis, which extends properly past damaging assaults on EcoHealth Alliance to unwarranted assaults on revered scientific and public well being entities across the nation, will do nothing to foretell, put together or forestall the subsequent pandemic,” the group wrote.