Shutdown Prep: US FDA Updates Plan To Furlough More Employees

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged FDA staff to resist the “deep state” and “crony capitalism,” and focus on improving the health of America’s children. “You're not here to take orders,” he said and urged FDA staff to speak up if they see wrongdoing.

The new telework policy returns to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic standard, but still requires reviewers to be at White Oak for sponsor meetings and divisions to have an in-office presence every day.

The HHS Secretary publicly acknowledged the unusual delay of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine licensure, but his justification was neither scientifically accurate nor legally justifiable, experts said.

The hub’s goals of efficiency, centralization and coordination fit with the Trump Administration’s current focus for the FDA, Amy Comstock Rick, director of strategic coalitions, told the Biopharma Congress.