Some 20 travel staff at the FDA, who made arrangements for the regulator’s inspectors, will be getting their jobs back, as per the Associated Press. Some food scientists involved in testing will also be reinstated.
The FDA is considering bringing back about 20 of its fired employees who made travel arrangements for the agency’s inspectors, according to a Thursday report from the Associated Press.
Citing FDA staff with knowledge of the rehiring plans—and who were granted anonymity to discuss confidential matters—the AP said some 60 travel staff had been let go in recent weeks, alongside roughly 100 employees in charge of processing and disclosing records to lawyers and journalists. Recent lapses in the FDA’s function, according to the AP, have prompted the agency to rethink these layoffs.
Some food scientists who were involved in testing for bacteria and harmful chemicals will also get their jobs back, as per the AP, though they haven’t yet been formally informed of the move.
In recent weeks, there has been an exodus of staff at the FDA, driven by the department-wide reorganization kicked off by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. when he assumed office in February. A few weeks after his confirmation, Kennedy announced that he planned to reduce HHS’ headcount by 10,000. The FDA took the heaviest hit, with some 3,500 jobs on the chopping block.
Aside from the layoffs, several other employees—many of whom occupied senior roles at the FDA—left the agency voluntarily or took early retirement. Sally Seymour, for instance, formerly worked as a senior physician at the Office of New Drug Policy and director at the FDA’s Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care. She announced on LinkedIn last week that she had retired, saying, “My time at the FDA ended sooner than expected.”
Most prominent, however, was the sudden exit of former Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research head Peter Marks in March. In his resignation letter, Marks noted that he was “willing to work” with the current HHS leadership, but was forced out, according to news reports at the time, given the choice between stepping down or being fired.
With its manpower severely gutted, the FDA has started to show lapses in some of its critical regulatory functions. Last month, for instance, the agency missed its target action date for Novavax’s next-generation COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, Novavax revealed that the regulator is asking for certain post-marketing commitments from the company.
Earlier this week, the regulator likewise missed its decision deadline for Stealth BioTherapeutics’ elamipretide for Barth Syndrome. The FDA has not yet released an updated target action date for Stealth.
