Inside STAT: The likely heir to an FDA powerbroker brings expertise — and controversy

PATRIZIA CAVAZZONI. (MOLLY FERGUSON FOR STAT)

Janet Woodcock, one of the FDA's most powerful regulators, has been somewhat of a celebrity within regulatory and scientific circles, and rumors have long swirled about who could possibly replace her. Now, as Woodcock has transitioned to a temporary new role overseeing a Trump administration coronavirus vaccine initiative, the answer to the question seems to have emerged: Patrizia Cavazzoni, an agency newcomer and one of Woodcock’s chief deputies who is also a Pfizer and Eli Lilly veteran. Despite her short tenure at the agency, advocates, former FDA commissioners, and colleagues of Cavazzoni tell STAT's Nicholas Florko that she has a reputation as a problem-solver and can carry on Woodcock's legacy. “Patrizia always helps come up with a solution and the solution is always reasonable,” says Ned Sharpless, a former acting FDA commissioner. Read more here.