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Following the FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s investigational mRNA flu vaccine last week, Commissioner Marty Makary faced questions from the U.S. president about the agency’s handling of vaccines. It’s a clear signal that the tension long brewing at the drug regulator has now gone all the way to the top.
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The FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine is part of a larger communications crisis unfolding at the agency over the past nine months that has also ensnarled Sarepta, Capricor, uniQure and many more.
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The FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine is “part of a disturbing pattern” of moving regulatory goalposts, according to Clay Alspach, executive director of the Alliance for mRNA Medicines. Meanwhile, streamlined communications with regulators in other countries pave the way for rapid uptake of novel modalities.
After the FDA’s decision to reject a review of Moderna’s mRNA-1010 flu shot, executives explain what Americans will miss out on as other nations embrace the technology.
Jim O’Neill was deputy secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services and also acting director of the CDC after the abrupt ouster of Susan Monarez in August 2025.
The FDA in October 2025 granted bitopertin its Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher but after a shortened review time has decided the data did not support regulatory approval for treating erythropoietic protoporphyria.
Richard Pazdur had spent 26 years at the FDA before stepping down last year due to disagreements with Commissioner Marty Makary about lowering the number of clinical trials required for a new drug application, Pazdur told the media.
The current state of political affairs in the U.S. does not bode well for the direction of that turn. The country is at real risk of losing its long-held lead in biotech innovation.
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Moderna will not commit to previous 2028 breakeven guidance as the ripple effects of the FDA’s refusal-to-file decision spread through its pipeline.
Following over a year of slow uptake, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics expect Casgevy revenues to nearly triple in 2026, as patient access to the sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia gene therapy grows.
Eli Lilly has long been gearing up for the launch of orforglipron, announcing as early as February 2024 that it was ramping up manufacturing investments for the weight-loss pill.