[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Health experts have expressed conflict of interest concerns after the FDA's drug chief quit for a top job in Big Pharma.
Pfizer announced this week that Dr Patrizia Cavazzoni, former director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), will join the company as its chief medical officer.
Though the exact salary is unknown, job posting sites suggest the position pays up to $500,000 per year before bonuses, more than the $400,000 per year the president of the United States makes.
The move comes amid criticism from newly elected health chief Robert F Kennedy Junior, who has accused the FDA of being too beholden to industry influence, as nearly two-thirds of the agency's funding comes from the pharmaceutical companies it regulates.
Health experts told DailyMail.com Dr Cavazzoni's new post 'proves RFK Jr's point' about the 'revolving door' between health agencies and Big Pharma.
| Yes, but now she is no longer on the government payroll, and her replacement will be very different — assuming her position is not cut altogether. |
Dr Cavazzoni held her position at CDER from 2020 until last month, resigning just before President Donald Trump's return to office and the nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr as Department of Health and Human Services secretary.
Dr Cavazzoni, who previously worked at Pfizer before joining the FDA in 2018, is the latest in a long line of former health officials jumping ship for Big Pharma.
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