FDA Officials in Vaccine Oversight Accepted Jobs at Moderna, Revealing Revolving Door Corruption
In a concerning revelation, an investigative report by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has exposed the unethical practice of regulatory officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepting jobs at pharmaceutical company Moderna after approving the experimental COVID-19 vaccine. This discovery sheds light on the troubling revolving door relationship between the public health agency and Big Pharma.
One of the officials involved is Doran Fink, a physician-scientist who worked at the FDA with a focus on vaccine regulation. After starting as a clinical reviewer in 2010, Fink was promoted to lead medical officer in the FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review. His responsibilities included overseeing a team of medical officers in charge of infectious diseases and related biological products. Shockingly, Fink’s LinkedIn profile revealed that he ended his role at the FDA in December 2022 and quickly joined Moderna just two months later to head their translational medicine and early clinical development program in infectious diseases. Fink is one of two regulators identified by BMJ to have made this move from the FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review to Moderna.
The investigation also discovered that the FDA does not keep records of where its employees go after leaving the agency, nor does it require any approval or clearance process before they take up positions in the industry. While post-government employment guidance exists, including bans on switching sides and recusing from relevant matters, adherence to these guidelines is self-enforced. This lack of oversight and transparency not only raises eyebrows but emphasizes the need for stronger regulations to prevent the revolving door phenomenon.
Another official involved in this disturbing issue is Jaya Goswami, who joined the FDA in March 2020 as a medical officer in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. According to Goswami, she had broad oversight over vaccines and biologics clinical development and was responsible for evaluating the regulatory standards for approving Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. She left the FDA in June 2022 and immediately took on the role of director of clinical development in infectious diseases at Moderna. Despite requests for interviews, neither Goswami nor Fink responded.
This revolving door situation is particularly worrying in agencies inundated with funding, such as the FDA, especially during the pandemic and Operation Warp Speed. Operation Warp Speed was a public health-military-industrial partnership aimed at accelerating the market introduction of a coronavirus vaccine. Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, highlights the need for a cooling-off period of at least two years to address the ethical concerns arising from close relationships between regulatory agencies and the companies they oversee.
While Moderna previously struggled to bring a product to market, the fortunes of this pharmaceutical company changed dramatically with its experimental mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine’s success has translated into massive financial gains, with Moderna reporting revenue of $18.5 billion in 2021, over $19 billion in 2022, and projected sales of at least $6 billion in 2023 for its COVID-19 vaccine alone.
Dr. Doshi, writing for The BMJ, warns that this revolving door situation is just another symptom of the deep-rooted corruption and cozy relationships between pharmaceutical companies and the regulators entrusted with overseeing their products. The FDA has repeatedly been criticized for operating as a marketing arm for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The revelation of the FDA-Moderna revolving door, as exposed by the BMJ’s investigation, should serve as a wake-up call for stronger regulations, transparency, and independent oversight. There is an urgent need to address and prevent conflicts of interest that compromise the integrity of our public health agencies and erode public trust in the vaccine approval process.
