Ousted vaccine chief alleges in whistleblower complaint his coronavirus warnings were ignored
By Nathaniel Weixel - 05/05/20 03:07 PM EDT
The Trump administration's former vaccine chief repeatedly warned top officials about shortage of critical resources and supplies for fighting the coronavirus as early as January, but the administration took no action, according to a whistleblower complaint.
In the complaint filed Tuesday, Rick Bright, the former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), alleged that he was pushed out of his position because of those warnings.
In addition, Bright said he was pressured by top officials at the Department of Health and Human Services to promote the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine "and to award lucrative contracts for these and other drugs even though they lacked scientific merit and had not received prior scientific vetting."
Bright said he was continuously pressured to award contracts "based on political connections and cronyism."
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/496213-ousted-vaccine-chief-says-coronavirus-warnings-were-ignored
