On Nov. 17, 2025, a JAMA published study found that more than 74,000 people have had their lives disrupted by Trump administration cuts to clinical trials supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  From the end of February to August, the administration’s unprecedented broadside against the NIH resulted in funding losses for 383 clinical trials, new research published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found. 

The cuts impacted trials disproportionately studying infectious diseases like COVID-19; prevention for cancer, heart disease and brain disease; and behavioral interventions. Most of the clinical trials were based in the Northeastern U.S. or in other countries. 

Researchers counted 11,008 NIH-funded studies; 1 in 30 lost funding. The ended trials mean there could be a potential treatment or cure that isn’t discovered.  Shortly after President Trump retook office, his administration directed agencies to terminate funding for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as any programs it considers wasteful.

The Supreme Court greenlighted the Trump administration’s continued termination of NIH funding in August, though separate legal challenges managed to disparately preserve some grants.  Challenges to the NIH’s attempted cuts to the “indirect costs” of medical research are also making their way through the courts. 

“For some participants, enrolling in a trial was a source of hope, in situations when other treatment options were inadequate. For some, participating in the study was a part of their legacy, a way they hoped to contribute to humankind, which will now be denied,” the editorial said.