Friday, January 16, 2015

White House (EEOB – 374) meeting with Deputies chaired by Ron Klain. Subject matter was vaccine trials and if there is any change in approach now that infections are so low, particularly in Liberia. Also discussed indemnification, liability and compensation for trials. Also discussed the need (or not) for 46 hospitals to be “ready” to receive Ebola patients (see above). I have always been against this since, in my mind, most of the hospitals that have volunteered to be “Ebola treatment Units” in the USA are really after the government funds that go with it. The Deputies group was discussing reluctance to tell other hospitals that 46 is enough and we will not support any more. I made myself clear that we should just stop recruiting hospitals that we do not need and that could likely not be able to handle an Ebola patient if they had to. Also, met in the AM with Delegation from India (“Vijay) to discuss NIAID – India collaborations, particularly the Vaccine Action program (VAP), which has been onging for many years. and importantly, a delegation from Liberia and Sierra Leone. The deputy Minister of Sierra Leone (SL) is Dr. Madina Rahman. She definitely “gets it” about the advantage of a RCT and wants to have us conduct such a trial in SL. This is key, since SL is where all the infections are right now with very few in Liberia. I will hook her up with Cliff Lane who is on his way back to USA from Liberia.