How massive cuts to HHS will affect the FDA

Current and former employees worry that the deep cuts will further erode morale and disrupt the agency's regulatory work.

March 27, 2025 Check out STAT+

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Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images STAT+ | RFK Jr. brings FDA under tighter control with HHS workforce cuts FDA cuts called 'too big, too fast' are part of a HHS reorganization that gives RFK Jr. more control over the agency, workers anxiously await their fate. By Lizzy Lawrence, Sarah Todd, and Matthew Herper Cassidy says RFK Jr. briefed him on HHS job cuts, but reported study on vaccines, autism didn't come up Sen. Bill Cassidy, who RFK Jr. promised to consult on vaccine policy, says reported autism study led by vaccine critic never came up during latest meeting. By John Wilkerson STAT+ | In a first, Eli Lilly to connect patients to telehealth providers of Alzheimer's care The move by Lilly, which sells a treatment for the condition, is part of a direct-to-consumer push that has drawn scrutiny. By Elaine Chen and Katie Palmer Mike Reddy for STAT STAT+ | Burst PIPEs? So-so returns for biotech's once-buzzy financing vehicle In this edition of "Adam's Biotech Scorecard," a closer look at PIPEs, biotech's once-buzzy financing vehicle, and a conversation with the CEO of RegenxBio. By Adam Feuerstein RFK Jr. plans to slash HHS workforce by 25% in massive reorganization Kennedy, who has long criticized the agency he now leads, will slash 10,000 jobs on top of 10,000 employees who have left voluntarily in recent months. By Sarah Owermohle, Lizzy Lawrence, and Tara Bannow Opinion: Former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala on the agency's 'silly new bureaucracy' The current administration is led by people who don't understand leadership or HHS' extraordinary impact on our economy and our future, Shalala writes. By Donna Shalala More HHS upheaval, 23andMe's bankruptcy, and AI for cancer survival STAT reporters discuss the layoffs and reorganization of HHS, data privacy concerns following 23andMe's bankruptcy filing, and more on The Readout LOUD. By Allison DeAngelis, Adam Feuerstein, and Elaine Chen Opinion: Trump administration says it wants to fight fentanyl, but it's slashing budget to fight opioid overdoses The U.S. has finally made progress in the generational fights against suicide and opioid overdoses. Don't cut SAMHSA's funding now. By Patrick Wildes

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