The FDA’s Dysfunction Is A Public Health Crisis Of Its Own

Forbes November 22, 2021
Sally Pipes

Earlier this month, President Biden tapped Dr. Robert Califf to lead the Food and Drug Administration. The agency had been operating without a Senate-approved commissioner for almost a year.

In my last column, I detailed how the FDA’s failures reviewing and approving tests for COVID-19 have prolonged the pandemic. This week, we have a new source of dysfunction to explore—the FDA’s foot-dragging on antiviral pills that treat COVID-19 and booster shots. Americans are needlessly suffering—and dying—because of that dysfunction.

Since President Biden took office, FDA veteran Dr. Janet Woodcock has served as interim commissioner. It’s unclear why the president waited 10 months to nominate a permanent head in the midst of a pandemic.

Interims are less than ideal for a...

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