A component of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that seeks to advance public health through biomedical research. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the NIH carries out its mission by:

The NIH also funds extramural research, including sponsoring clinical trials regarding the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases and conditions, including COVID-19 (the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (2019 Novel Coronavirus)) (see Global Coronavirus Toolkit). In April 2020, for example, the NIH reported promising clinical trial results for a potential COVID-19 treatment called Remdesivir, a drug developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Regarding the NIH and the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) requirements for participation in approved clinical trials, see Practice Note, Patient Protections and Clinical Trials Under the ACA: Standards for Clinical Trials. For more information on the NIH, see the agency's website.