The FDA will go on without Janet Woodcock, but it will likely take multiple people to fill in the gaps given her breadth of institutional knowledge, interests and skill sets, former close colleagues told the Pink Sheet.
Janet Woodcock will retire from the US Food and Drug Administration in early 2024 after more than 35 years at the agency she confirmed to the Pink Sheet on 16 November.
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US HHS Advisor Calley Means said new pathways for root-cause treatments are part of the HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vision for the FDA. But what most biopharma companies consider preventative medicines are not what he has in mind, nor does he seem to see those companies as part of the solution.
US FDA Commissioner Martin Makary’s disavowal of a proposed reorganization plan may be an important turning point in the Trump Administration. The move does not improve the situation, but may mean the administration stops actively making things worse.
Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss FDA Commissioner Martin Makary’s decision to have one of his assistants lead negotiations for Novavax’s delayed COVID-19 vaccine review, as well as some recent missed review deadlines, which may be the result of recent FDA cuts.
With review and development uncertainly increasing, "it’s going to take longer for certain targets … to progress to a place where they’ve been derisked enough that big pharma is ready to write a big check," said Andrew Goodman of Paul Hastings.
The biotech CEO said the Trump Administration’s treatment of FDA employees, including the HHS secretary’s comments about industry capture, are insulting to agency staff, but he is encouraged by FDA Commissioner Martin Makary’s talk of a new conditional approval pathway.
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary's remarks that his special assistant Tracy Beth Høeg will "be involved in other approval procedures" besides Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine application could be a dramatic change in operations, potentially making the approval system unpredictable.
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary said in an interview that he will use the current structure to reform the agency. He also plans to address employee morale.
