FDA Commissioner Dr. Makary Says NIH 'Brewed Up a Virus That Killed 20 Million People Worldwide' | 3 Aug 2025 | Newly appointed FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary pulled no punches as he directly accused the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of funding the lab responsible for creating the virus that sparked the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed the lives of over 20 million people globally. Speaking to NewsNation's Connell McShane, Dr. Makary blasted the former NIH leadership for pouring taxpayer dollars into unaccountable pet projects, including the now-infamous lab that engineered the virus that triggered a global pandemic. Dr. Makary said: "We're planning to change our health agencies for a generation or longer. Look at the NIH. When Jay Bhattacharya came in there, it was a mess. Fourteen percent of the grants were descriptive studies on health equity. And the NIH had just funded a lab that brewed up a virus that killed 20 million people worldwide."