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Speed Of Novel Approvals In Jeopardy As RFK Jr. Lands US HHS Secretary Nod

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

The FDA’s Peter Marks warned novel approvals will suffer if the agency is forced to spend its time relitigating vaccines. At the top HHS post Kennedy could impact pharma from basic research funding to drug pricing.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
President-elect Trump announced 14 November his intent to nominate RFK Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department. (Juli Hansen/Shutterstock.com)
Key Takeaways
  • Trump's planned nominee to lead the US Health and Human Services Department, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., may force the FDA's attention away from novel approvals, Peter Marks warned.
  • Kennedy is best known for his anti-vaccine positions, but he also has indicated a general contempt for the mainstream pharma industry. His anti-user fee position could cripple FDA operations.
  • At HHS, Kennedy also would oversee Medicare and Medicaid, and has supported international reference pricing, which is unpopular with the drug industry.

President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the US Health and Human Services Department on 14 November, just one day after one of...

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Peter Marks raised concerns that the promise of novel technology could slow if the agency has to spend its time “relitigating things that...

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