After ‘destruction’ at FDA, Rick Pazdur sees need to ‘think creatively’

Elaine’s stories explore the boom in new obesity treatments, new drug payment models, the ways companies are affected by FDA changes, and the emerging psychedelics drug sector. She co-writes The Readout newsletter, and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70.

CHICAGO — Rick Pazdur, the former top oncology regulator at the Food and Drug Administration, said the damage done under recent political appointees opens a chance for new leadership to fundamentally restructure the FDA, particularly as China’s drug industry grows more competitive. 

Under leaders appointed by the Trump administration, “we’ve had a lot of destruction here, and it doesn’t mean that we have to just go back and say, well, let’s rebuild it as it was,” Pazdur said Friday night at a STAT event during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “This gives us a great opportunity of — how we want to build it, what staff we want to have, how we want the administrative structure to be.”

He said the FDA has lost many valuable experts and one way to bolster the workforce is to “think creatively,” such as bringing in academics and people in the drug industry for one- or two-year terms.