Key Takeaways
- The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research lost more than 800 staff from the RIF, as well as another 200 from early retirements, buyouts and other departures.
- Most departures came after the end of March, which surprised some in the agency.
- An HHS memo also suggests plans are being developed to restructure the FDA, although they remain conceptual.
Layoffs, retirements and buyouts have cost the US Food and Drug Administration’s drug center more than 17% of its staff so far in 2025.
Internal data obtained by the Pink Sheet indicate that the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research now has less than 5,000 employees after starting calendar year 2025 with 6,058, a decrease of more than 1,000 people. (See charts below.)
The center lost more than 800 through the 1 April reduction-in-force that decimated entire offices and divisions, as well as about 200 through the deferred resignation, early retirement and buyout programs, according to the data.
The figures do not include some retirements, many of which are still being processed. Among them is Office of New Drugs Director Peter Stein, who chose retirement after receiving a RIF notice.
The center’s head count now is well less than on 1 October 2022, the beginning of fiscal year 2023, when more than 5,400 FTEs were reported.
Only a few dozen had left CDER by the end of March, which surprised FDA officials. Nearly all of the culling occurred in April, the data show.
Probationary employees and others were laid off at the FDA in February, although some were called back to work a few days later. Early retirement and buyouts were offered in early March.
RIF Gutted Many FDA Offices
The RIF included almost all of the FDA’s communications staff, as well as project managers and other staff that supported application reviewers, such as timekeepers.
The CDER Office of Executive Programs also was gutted, along with several regulatory policy offices and the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion.
More layoffs may be coming, but new FDA Commissioner Martin Makary will be among those trying to ensure that CDER staff continue meeting review goals and other responsibilities.
FDA Restructuring Also Planned
As part of the RIF and other departures, the Health and Human Services Department appears interested in restructuring parts of the FDA and other agencies.
An HHS memo states that part of the plan is to “streamline the FDA to remove unnecessary management layers and offices and streamline them into five shared services offices,” but offers no additional detail.
The memo states that the plans for all of HHS are conceptual and “transition leaders are still in the process of determining on [sic] how best to proceed.”
“All statutorily required positions and offices will remain intact and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress’ statutory intent,” the memo states.
Sue Sutter contributed to this report.
