Three former FDA officials: Here’s what Trump and his nominees need to know The agency may change, but these key features must remain the same

https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/21/fda-trump-nominees-rfk-jr-marty-makary-confirmation-hearings/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8AdZUZBDBc_yLu5VbDdk19jB9QEeyg-sXsAbanR6--_XDCu1Z7hKyFPT23LoXJXTcFfGZHwN-sBFU1yX-05l9jGhGM6Q&_hsmi=343359550&utm_content=343359550&utm_source=hs_email ‘Change at the FDA is a constant,’ former officials say, but bedrock principles should remain Speaking of the FDA, it’s a given that any new presidential administration will select senior officials eager to make a difference in their new agencies. For the FDA, Marty Makary will have that opportunity. Three former FDA officials — Stuart Pape, Wayne Pines, and Mitch Zeller — urge Makary and his incoming team to keep in mind principles that have earned the FDA its reputation as the leading science-based consumer protection agency in the world: relying on good science and providing a work environment that attracts and keeps the best experts. “Change at the FDA is a constant as the agency evolves to address new products and challenges,” they write in a STAT First Opinion. “The incoming administration should view FDA staff not as enemies, but as an extraordinarily valuable resource to pursue partnerships to advance public health.”