NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Rule Changes

Records and FOIA practices under federal scrutiny

A federal grand jury indicted Dr. David Morens, the longest-serving senior adviser to Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), on five counts including conspiracy against the United States and destruction of federal records. Morens, 78, allegedly used a personal Gmail account to route official COVID-19 business outside the reach of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The indictment also details an alleged gratuity: two bottles of Napa Valley wine sent to Morens' home by the then-president of EcoHealth Alliance, with a note thanking him for 'behind-the-scenes shenanigans.' In exchange, Morens allegedly co-authored a commentary in a major medical journal arguing that COVID-19 had natural — not laboratory — origins.

Updated Apr 29

New Capabilities

Ending CHAVD funding; shifting focus to existing HIV treatment approaches

In 1984, the U.S. Health Secretary predicted an HIV vaccine within two years. Four decades and dozens of failed trials later, IAVI has begun dosing participants in South Africa with a vaccine built on an entirely different principle—one that attempts to train the immune system from the ground up rather than simply presenting it with viral proteins. The IAVI G004 trial, which began vaccinations in December 2025, represents the fourth step in a sequential vaccination strategy that has already demonstrated proof-of-concept in humans.

Updated Jan 22