STAT+: Makary says FDA will remove pharma representatives from advisory panels
Representatives from pharma and other industries already play a more limited role in advising the FDA.
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration will remove industry representatives from advisory committees and replace them with patients and caregivers, Commissioner Marty Makary announced Thursday.
While that’s not really a big change, it’s the latest effort by Makary and his boss, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to reduce the influence of the pharmaceutical industry.
Makary announced the change during his first interview as commissioner. He spent much of the conversation with Megyn Kelly lambasting his agency for its ties to industry. Makary told Kelly that he was shocked to learn that drug industry representatives are allowed to sit on FDA advisory committees.
