INSIDE COMPLIANCE

It’s no secret that prior Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators, who managed drug approvals, often get comfortable, high-paying jobs at the same companies that produce those drugs and products, nor is it anything new. This is the “revolving door” of the FDA. The “revolving door” refers to the movement of employees from regulatory agencies to the private corporations they regulate. This phenomenon occurs at every level of employment from standard regulators to senior staff and high-ranking employees. In fact, every FDA commissioner since 2000 has gone on to work for a large corporation regulated by the FDA, which raises ethical concerns regarding the agency’s ability to regulate drug manufacturers without any conflict of interests or corruption. Despite the FDA’s claims that its ethics rules, in accordance with federal laws, prevent FDA regulators and employees from engaging in conflicts of interest by accepting these types of employment positions, the revolving door remains prevalent between the FDA and private pharmaceutical companies. Not only does this raise concerns about conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory decisions, but it also negatively impacts the country’s public health and safety because drugs and other pharmaceutical products are introduced to the market with FDA approval that otherwise should not have been due to dangerous side effects, addictive nature, or other perverse factors pertaining to the specific products.