Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Joins Pfizer Board of Directors

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on June 27 that former U.S. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb will join Pfizer’s Board of Directors.

Pfizer Executive Chairman Ian Read stated, “Scott’s expertise in healthcare, public policy, and the industry will be an asset to our company, enabling our shareholders to continue benefiting from a Board of Directors that represents a balance of experience, capabilities, and perspectives.”

“I am pleased to join the Board of Directors of Pfizer and work alongside more than 90,000 Pfizer colleagues to drive medical innovation, advance patient care, and ensure better healthcare outcomes for families around the world,” Gottlieb said on Twitter.

Scott Gottlieb served as FDA Commissioner from May 2017, resigning in April of this year after a two-year tenure. During his term, he introduced a series of prescription drug policies, including accelerating the approval of generic drugs and encouraging their use, thereby breaking the FDA’s annual record for generic drug approvals multiple times. Furthermore, through press announcements and blog posts, he achieved remarkable progress on nearly all topics under the FDA’s purview. Additionally, despite the controversies surrounding opioid analgesics and e-cigarettes, he demonstrated keen political acumen within the Trump administration.

Sidney Wolfe, founder of the U.S. Public Citizen Health Research Group and a long-time FDA watchdog, stated, “Gottlieb has returned to his most comfortable ecosystem, and he will be handsomely rewarded for it.”

For Pfizer, the addition of Gottlieb is a highly advantageous move. Currently, Pfizer is seeking to play a larger role in oncology and identify new avenues for growth. As the former head of an agency responsible for formulating policies and regulations that shape the fate of pharmaceutical companies, Gottlieb is poised to provide significant assistance.

“We welcome Dr. Gottlieb to the Pfizer Board of Directors,” said Albert Bourla, Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer. “Through his work as a physician and his tenure at the FDA, Scott has consistently demonstrated his understanding of patient needs and the rapidly evolving dynamics of biopharmaceutical research and development.”

In fact, over the past 38 years, nearly every FDA commissioner has joined the board of directors of a pharmaceutical company after leaving the agency. After Gottlieb left the FDA a few months ago, he resumed his positions at the American Enterprise Institute and the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates; Pfizer was not his only affiliation.

References

《Scott Gottlieb walks through the revolving door to the Pfizer board》