US FDA limits industry employees from roles in its advisory committees

(Reuters) -U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary announced on Thursday a policy to limit employees of companies regulated by the agency, such as pharmaceutical firms, from serving as official members on FDA’s advisory committees, where legally allowed.

The directive on Thursday is aimed at promoting "radical transparency" and mitigating perceived industry influence and conflicts of interest, Makary said in a statement.

Makary, in a post on social media platform X, said the FDA has a history of being influenced unduly by corporate interests.

"Industry employees are welcome to attend FDA advisory committee meetings," said Makary, adding that the presence of industry representatives as committee members represents "a cozy relationship" that raises concerns among many Americans.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously been most vocal in his criticism of the FDA, accusing its staff of doing the bidding of Big Pharma and Big Food.

As part of the policy announced on Thursday, the FDA will prioritize the role of patients and caregivers in the decisions made by its advisory committees.

These committees provide independent expert advice, recommendations on scientific, technical and policy decisions, and have non-voting members representing the industry as a whole rather than individual companies.

For instance, Paula Annunziato, a senior vice president at Merck (NSE:PROR), served as an industry representative on FDA’s vaccines and related biological products advisory committee in 2023.

The Trump administration has recently undertaken mass firings at the FDA, removing employees critical to the review of new medicines, reversing years of progress aimed at accelerating the delivery of promising treatments to patients, Reuters reported earlier this month.

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