Letters cite actions of Biden administration to halt monoclonal antibody contracts and question flawed outreach campaign
WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), joined U.S Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, to send three separate letters to Gregory M. Kausner, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; S. Lawrence Kocot of KPMG; and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra demanding information surrounding the joint decision between HHS and DoD to award a $142 million contract to KPMG for the promotion of monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments and express concerns regarding information provided by KPMG as part of the public outreach campaign.
Additionally, the letters request clarity about why the campaign occurred at the same time the administration cancelled existing mAb contracts. These actions led to a nationwide shortage of mAb treatments, severely impacting many states including Alabama.
In part, the letters state, “It is hard to understand why the Biden Administration would enter into a contract with KPMG, worth over $142,000,000, to promote mAb treatments at the same time it was cancelling mAb manufacturing contracts.”
“The shortage of mAb treatments and rationing calls into question the origin, rationale, and performance of the KPMG contract.”
“We have had serious concerns about the KPMG contract since its inception. Our investigation into the contract began just weeks after it was signed when the Committee received information suggesting irregularities in the contract award process… the website KPMG developed under the contract is not well designed to “accelerate access” to mAb treatment and, worse, is potentially misleading to the public.”
The full letter to Gregory M. Kausner, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment can be found here.
The full letter to S. Lawrence Kocot of KPMG can be found here.
The full letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra can be found here.
During a November 4th HELP hearing, Senator Tuberville asked Dawn O’Connell, HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, about the KPMG contract and pressed her to commit to purchasing more mAbs.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, and the full speech can be viewed here.
TUBERVILLE: “Congress gave money through the CARES Act to help with development of production of therapeutics. Within three months of being in office, President Biden’s administration decided not to buy, or they declined to exercise contract options on monoclonal antibodies, and I know you weren’t there at the time. They inherited these contracts from the Trump Administration. Those decisions caused a shortage, especially for us in Alabama. At the same time, the Biden administration was ramping [down] monoclonal production as we’re trying to get back to it, HHS turned and gave a hundred and forty-two million-dollar non-compete contract to an accounting firm to market these treatments to the public. The administration hired KPMG to promote a therapeutic that the government stopped buying. That makes no sense.”
“I understand that HHS is currently reviewing this. I just would hope that you would commit to reprogramming some of that money to monoclonals if there’s any left. Could I get a commitment on you for that?”
O’CONNELL: “We have seen a change in the monoclonal landscape. When the Aspa Therapeutics team began looking at the distribution models in February, a lot different than we experienced during the Delta surge. Twenty-fold increase in demand for monoclonals, and we went to a state distribution system. And, so you’re absolutely right. It’s time to re-evaluate whether we need this distribution help to get to the harder hit communities, and that review is under way right now. I’m expecting a memo any day with the team’s recommendations on whether to keep that funding going.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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