FDA’s absent leaders, the millions pharma CEOs make, and pancreatic cancer’s momentum

BioSpace · May 20, 2026 · 26m · transcript

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary officially resigned last week following reports of his ouster. Then, the acting directors for the agency’s two main review units also left their posts, as did the FDA chief of staff and chief AI officer.

Domino effect aside, the reaction from the industry has been mostly positive, given Makary’s tumultuous reign. But he might be hard to replace. If it were up to the biotech industry, former longtime oncology regulator and short-lived CDER director Richard Pazdur would take the role. For now, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Kyle Diamantas is in charge.

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