STAT+: Under Vinay Prasad, employees at a key FDA center fear speaking out, look for the exits

STAT October 31, 2025
Lizzy Lawrence

Prasad is contending with slumping morale as senior leaders quit CBER

WASHINGTON — A slow-boiling feud between Vinay Prasad and his staff at the Food and Drug Administration is threatening the future of the center that regulates the nation’s vaccines, biological products, and blood supply.

Dozens of scientists are considering leaving the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, where Prasad serves as director, to escape a work environment that eight agency officials described to STAT as rife with mistrust and paranoia. These officials said staffers are terrified of pushing back on Prasad, lest they...

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