FDA Leadership Sees Multiple Departures
Multiple senior FDA leaders departed, including the acting drug and vaccines chiefs, leading to interim appointments across critical departments.
Lauren Collins ·
FDA Leadership Sees Multiple Departures
Multiple senior officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) departed their roles on Friday, November 15, 2024, including the acting drug chief and acting vaccines chief, signaling significant leadership changes within the agency. These departures follow the resignation of the FDA Commissioner earlier in the week, resulting in a lack of permanent leadership across several critical departments.
Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, who served as the acting head of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) for six months, stated she was terminated after declining to resign. Concurrently, Katherine Szarama, the acting chief of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), also reportedly left her position after only ten days. Jim Traficant, the FDA's chief of staff, was also ousted.
The immediate consequence is that the FDA currently lacks a permanent commissioner, deputy commissioner, and permanent leaders for CDER and CBER. Kyle Diamantas, previously the top food regulator, has been appointed as the acting commissioner. Michael Davis will serve as the acting director for CDER, and Karim Mikhail will temporarily head CBER, indicating a period of interim leadership across key regulatory functions.