NIH Cuts Disrupt 383 Clinical Trials Affecting 74,000+ Patients
NIH terminated 5,843 grants, disrupting 1 in 30 active clinical trials. 74,000+ patients were affected. Infectious disease trials were hit hardest at 14.4%. Early-career scientists were pushed out of research.
NIH terminated or froze 5,843 research grants, disrupting approximately 383 out of 11,008 active clinical trials — 1 in 30. Over 74,000 trial participants were directly affected, many in the middle of treatments for cancer, infectious diseases, and rare conditions.
The damage was not evenly distributed:
- Infectious disease trials hit hardest at 14.4% disrupted
- Duke University alone saw $108 million in NIH funding frozen
- The proposed FY2026 budget included a 40% cut to NIH and 55% cut to NSF
- Over 25,000 scientists and researchers lost positions across federal agencies
A March 2026 survey found the cuts pushed labs to the brink, hitting early-career scientists especially hard — the people who would have led the next generation of American biomedical research. The administration halted new NIH grants to international health research partners.
The cuts represent the largest proposed reduction to non-defense R&D as a percentage of GDP in modern history. While Congress rejected the most extreme proposals, the damage from terminated grants and departing researchers may be irreversible — science doesn't pause while funding is restored.