Who has left the FDA recently? A lot of senior officials

The blunt force reshaping of the FDA under the Trump administration — not to mention the rest of the Health and Human Services Department — has meant that roughly 3,500 staffers are being cut, including top regulatory brass. The ouster of CBER chief Peter Marks garnered plenty of headlines, but any number of senior officials have exited the agency in recent weeks, sometimes voluntarily and sometimes not so voluntarily.

To illustrate the growing leadership void at FDA, STAT has compiled a list of senior officials — at the office director level and above — who have left the agency recently. We'll keep it as up-to-date as possible.

RESEARCH

NIH hit with chaos, cuts, and contractor purge

The NIH is scrambling to slash $2.6 billion in contracts — about 35% of them — by April 8, per the instruction of the U.S. DOGE Service. The directive comes as the agency is in the midst of cutting 1,200 staffers. Internal emails show DOGE flagged contracts for elimination, many supporting essential research staff.

It's not just contracts for things like IT and facility cleaning, but more specialized services as well — such as long-term freezer storage of biospecimens and genetic counseling for clinical research volunteers. While NIH leaders are trying to minimize damage, scientists are panicking. As one told STAT's Megan Molteni: "It's like Sophie's Choice in real life."

podcast

Cuts, ousters, and drama at the FDA

Turmoil, job cuts, and ousters of high-ranking officials at federal health agencies. Marty Makary's rough first week as FDA commissioner. Biotech stocks tumble even further. President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs roil global markets.

We talk about biotech's volatile week, plus interview AstraZeneca R&D executive Sharon Barr, on this week's episode of the "The Readout LOUD," STAT's biotech podcast.

STAT's FDA reporter Lizzy Lawrence joins co-hosts Allison, Elaine, and Adam to discuss her inside-the-agency reporting on how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. forced top FDA officials to resign at a time when newly sworn-in FDA Commissioner Makary is still figuring out how to get around the agency's White Oak campus in suburban Maryland.

AstraZeneca presented positive mid-stage results this week on a PCSK9 pill that dramatically lowered cholesterol levels on top of traditional statins. Barr joined the podcast to talk about why AstraZeneca views this experimental cardiovascular medicine as a key part of its growth strategy.

Listen here.

BIOPHARMA

U.K. drug pricing scheme faces industry backlash

For years, biopharma companies have argued the drug pricing scheme in the U.K. is killing investment. Officials there seem to now be getting the message, STAT's Andrew Joseph reports.

At a conference in London yesterday, the director of the U.K.'s Office for Life Sciences acknowledged there is a "a real sense among ministers about the need for a rethink about how much we spend on medicines and the value of medicine."

With rebate rates hitting 23%, companies are calling the country "un-investable" and weighing whether it's even worth launching new medicines in the U.K. anymore.