Cancer agency criticism switches to Greg Abbott

Recent controversies at CPRIT may come back to haunt Attorney General Greg Abbott as he runs for governor.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's oversight ? or lack thereof, as some are saying ? of the state's cancer agency has come into question now that he is running for governor.

Abbott has served on the governing board of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the state's $3 billion cancer agency, for four years and appointed a deputy to attend meetings for him. The appointee missed about a third of CPRIT's Oversight Committee meetings, the Houston Chronicle reports.

While criticism of Abbott's role with CPRIT is new, the agency has gone through a controversial year. Governing officials at CPRIT were blasted late last year after it was revealed an $11 million grant was awarded to Dallas-based Peloton Therapeutics Inc. without going through proper review channels.

As a result, a moratorium was placed on CPRIT grants in December, bringing the agency to a standstill. An investigation by Abbott's office subsequently followed. Only recently was the agency allowed to fulfill 25 researcher recruitment grants worth about $72 million.

Critics question Abbott's ability to objectively investigate the agency after it was discovered serious issues needed to be addressed when it was his office that oversaw CPRIT to begin with, the Chronicle reports.

Meanwhile, recent leadership changes could bolster public trust in the institute.

Bayan Raji covers health care for the Houston Business Journal. For her breaking stories and industry insights, follow her on Twitter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_35/~3/NRujUlI4IdA/cancer-agency-criticism-switches-to.html

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