Biden NIH Pick to Be Grilled on Covid’s Origin, Drug Patents (1)

President Joe Biden’s expected nominee to lead the NIH will likely face questions about Covid-19’s origins and seizing patents to lower drug prices, but research advocates say it won’t stop her from securing the top medical research post.

The White House is close to nominating Monica Bertagnolli, who’s currently the director of the National Cancer Institute, to run the National Institutes of Health, an administration official with knowledge of the appointment told Bloomberg News on Friday.

If confirmed, Bertagnolli would be only the second woman to lead the agency as a permanent director since the creation of that position in ...