The following is a statement from MassBio CEO & President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell on the ongoing staffing cuts at the Department of Health & Human Services and Food & Drug Administration (FDA):
Only last week, MassBio hosted our State of Possible conference detailing what the biopharmaceutical community in Massachusetts is doing to transform our state, the economy, and the lives of patients around the world. Essential to realizing that potential are stable federal agencies well-staffed with experienced and passionate public servants dedicated to ensuring the safety and efficacy of our science.
I am deeply troubled by the significant and arbitrary dismissal of HHS and FDA employees. Equally disturbing is the departure of key leaders at the FDA like Peter Marks and Peter Stein who helped ensure industry had the opportunity to bring breakthroughs out of the lab and into the clinic, especially for patients with a rare disease and no other treatment options.
We strongly encourage the Administration to reconsider cuts to the government agencies that ensure the continued development of novel medicines. These ongoing actions, from cuts to NIH funding to reductions in FDA staffing, all have severe and immediate consequences for both patients and the progress of medical innovation. Massachusetts remains the global leader in biopharmaceutical science, but we cannot achieve all that is possible without adequate partners in government.