The US Food and Drug Administration’s accelerated approval of Biogen, Inc.’s Aduhelm (aducanumab-avwa) has been the most controversial event in the Rx policy sphere – until the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ effort to essentially undo it through a national coverage determination impacting even traditional approvals of Alzheimer’s drugs.
Accelerated Approval: How The Aduhelm Probes Will, And Won’t, Impact The Debate
Even as the US FDA can expect to be put through the ringer with the congressional and HHS Inspector General probes, the process could have some upsides for the agency, according to former officials who have been through such scrutiny.

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One CDRH employee said the cuts already are having a major effect on morale.
Mass FDA layoffs on 1 April were designed to spare product reviewers, but still touched many who are critical to the application review process or drug development, which could mean fewer treatments are brought to the US market first.
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary was sworn in Friday and knew of the plan that ultimately lead to CBER director Peter Marks' resignation on 28 March.
In his resignation letter, the CBER director said he was willing to work with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to address concerns about vaccine safety, but "it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary."
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A former CMS manager worries casework and other necessary functions could suffer as a result of the 300 staff cuts at the agency that are part of a massive HHS restructuring.
The April departures of Paul Kluetz and Marc Theoret follow resignations by other senior agency scientific staff and come on top of HHS’ plans to lay off 3,500 FDA employees.
About 3,500 full-time FDA employees are expected to be laid off as part of a restructuring of the Health and Human Services Department and experts questioned whether the cuts could be implemented without harming FDA’s core mission.