As the flurry of executive orders continues to flow from the White House, leaving in its wake chaos and confusion across the overall health care sector, Tim Opler, managing director of the global health care group at investment firm Stifel, is taking the long view and urging the biopharma sector to continue focusing on innovation.

With massive terminations, data removals, holds on U.S. government funding, cancellation of various programs and meetings, the potential for 25% tariffs on medical products and a multitude of court challenges and appeals, the dust is flying thick at the FDA, NIH and throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The scientific establishment has launched a fight back against the Trump administration and the slew of executive orders that threaten to dismantle research funding, with a warning that the next month could be critical for the future of U.S. science.

The former head of the U.S. NIH has sounded a warning that the uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration’s funding cuts and layoffs is blocking “critical work” and “paralyzing” biomedical research. “Every time we launch a new program, every time we continue to commit resources to ongoing work, those are important decisions that we make every single day, and in times like this, that decision-making is paralyzed,” said Monica Bertagnolli, who stood down as director of the NIH on Jan. 17.

The former head of the U.S. NIH has sounded a warning that the uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration’s funding cuts and layoffs is blocking “critical work” and “paralyzing” biomedical research. “Every time we launch a new program, every time we continue to commit resources to ongoing work, those are important decisions that we make every single day, and in times like this, that decision-making is paralyzed,” said Monica Bertagnolli, who stood down as director of the NIH on Jan. 17.

As part of a U.S. government-wide reduction in force aimed at restructuring and streamlining federal agencies, 5,200 Health and Human Services employees reportedly received their pink slips over the weekend, with 1,165, or 22%, of those at the NIH.

The scientific establishment has launched a fight back against the Trump administration and the slew of executive orders that threaten to dismantle research funding, with a warning that the next month could be critical for the future of U.S. science.

The scientific establishment has launched a fight back against the Trump administration and the slew of executive orders that threaten to dismantle research funding, with a warning that the next month could be critical for the future of U.S. science.

A 15% cap on indirect cost reimbursement that was announced by the U.S. NIH has been stalled by a court order for the time being. But researchers remain deeply concerned about the attempt, and about the new administration’s adversarial approach to research and universities.