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STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about fallout over ousted FDA official, a Colorado pharma setback, and more
The ouster of Peter Marks, the FDA official who oversaw vaccines, gene therapies, and the blood supply, has alarmed biopharma executives
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was refreshing and reassuring. After all, that oh-so familiar routine of phone calls, online meetings, and lengthening to-do lists has returned with a vengeance. Such are the signs of progress, we hope. To cope, yes, we are brewing cups of stimulation and our choice today is peppermint mocha. As always, you are invited to join us. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits to get you started today on your journey, which we hope is meaningful and productive. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. We have changed our settings to accept postcards and telegrams, although Signal continues to work well, too. …
The ouster of Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who oversaw vaccines, gene therapies, and the blood supply, has alarmed biopharma industry executives who saw him as an ally, STAT tells us. In a statement, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization trade group said it is “deeply concerned that the loss of experienced leadership at the FDA will erode scientific standards and broadly impact the development of new, transformative therapies to fight diseases for the American people.” This contrasted with a cautious approach to plans by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to slash indirect cost payments to universities and other institutions that have received federal grants and tariffs the Trump administration is targeting on pharmaceuticals. A question now is whether the circumstances surrounding Marks’ departure — he complained about “misinformation and lies” from U.S. Health and Human Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. — will change industry strategy, and whether it will matter.
European institutions are beginning to target “scientific asylum” seekers from the U.S., advertising jobs for those who fear funding cuts and ideological restrictions from the Trump administration, The Hill notes. Experts have warned that the reduced funding and limitations could create a brain drain and cause the U.S. to lose a generation of scientists and the work they would otherwise produce. The Netherlands announced on Thursday that it was launching a fund to attract researchers, which would be open to those of all nationalities. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, based in Belgium, is one university that has started to actively recruit American researchers, portraying itself as a safe haven. So is the Pasteur Institute in Paris, which is recruiting Americans in fields like infectious disease research. Aix-Marseille University in France set up a program that will fund more than two dozen U.S. researchers for three years. The school said it has already had about 100 applicants, including scientists from Yale Univerity, Stanford University, and NASA.
