Bloomberg Businessweek ICYMI: What NIH Cuts Mean for Health Sector Entrepreneurs
Sep 3, 2025
Quang X. Pham, Founder and CEO of Cadrenal Therapeutics, shares insights on the recent cuts to NIH funding and how they jeopardize the development of new drugs. He discusses the challenges facing small biotech companies amid tightening budgets and regulatory hurdles. Quang emphasizes the vital role of government support in research and warns of potential negative impacts on healthcare access. His perspective sheds light on the intricate relationship between policy decisions and innovation in the health sector.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Cuts Will Starve Early-Stage Research
- NIH cuts primarily hit early-stage, preclinical research at universities that feed the biotech pipeline.
- Reduced grant funding now will shrink the future drug pipeline and slow novel therapies years from now.
Few Approvals From Vast Preclinical Pools
- Only a small number of approved drugs originate from an enormous pool of preclinical compounds.
- This underscores how critical each funded early project is to eventual therapeutic success.
Agency Capacity Directly Impacts Small Biotechs
- FDA staffing and responsiveness materially affect small drug companies' development schedules.
- Slower agency communications increase development time and capital requirements for biotech firms.