If the authors are pushing a novel or shaky hypothesis that purports to provide a potential cure (as they often do), yes this might not fall under basic research. For instance, arguing a particular pathway is the cause of AD without first characterizing the pathway and how it affects humans can waste tens of million dollars and cost years.

In the balance between trying to quickly develop a therapeutic and understanding the basic mechanisms driving the disease etiology, we see a lot of research groups with under powered studies playing fast and loose and hyping their research. Is it outright fraud? Rarely. But it’s not good science either.