Former FDA Chief Stephen Hahn Joins Venture Capital Firm Behind Moderna COVID Vaccine

Stephen Hahn, MD, who served as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Dec. 17, 2019 through Jan. 20, 2021, has been hired by Flagship Pioneering Co.—the venture capital firm that launched biotechnology Moderna, Inc., maker of the experimental mRNA-1273 COVID-19 biologic currently being distributed in the United States under an emergency use authorization (EUA) granted by the FDA on Dec. 18, 2020.^{1 2 3}

According to Flagship, Dr. Hahn will lead an initiative to help prevent infectious and chronic diseases. This will include financing the development of vaccines and drugs targeting “existing pandemic diseases such as obesity, cancer, and neurodegeneration.”⁴

Flagship Pioneering, which holds a 6.1 percent financial stake in Moderna, is led by founder and CEO Noubar Afeyan, PhD, who is also chairman of Moderna. “The COVID-19 pandemic brought into stark focus how important it is to bring increased attention and investment to our health security globally, and to preemptive medicine more broadly,” Dr. Afeyan said. “We are delighted that Flagship will benefit from Steve’s clinical and administrative leadership in helping us dimension and pursue our growing number of explorations and companies in this emerging field.”^{2 5 6}

Dr. Hahn, who oversaw the evaluation process that led to EUA approval for Moderna’s mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine, developed in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), began working as Flagship Pioneering’s chief medical officer on June 16, 2021.^{1 2}

Hahn Hiring and “Revolving Door” Between FDA and Industry

The decision by Dr. Hahn to join Flagship Pioneering has raised some concerns within the biotech investment community. Brad Loncar, CEO of Loncar Investments, wrote:

I have the highest respect for Flagship and for Dr. Hahn. But I have to keep it real. It would not be a good look for our industry if the person who approved the vaccine went to work for an affiliated company.⁵

“Hahn’s joining Flagship Pioneering is just another example of the troubling revolving door between FDA and private industry that has undermined public trust in the agency,” said Michael Carome, MD, director of the health research group at consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen.⁴

Pharma Companies Filled With Former FDA Heads

But Dr. Hahn’s move to the pharmaceutical industry is not unusual for top officials at FDA. Earlier this month, former principal deputy commissioner of the FDA Amy Abernathy, MD was hired by Alphabet, Inc.’s Verily Life Sciences to be president of their clinical research business. Dr. Abernathy left the FDA in April. She was twice considered to replace former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD after he left the agency in 2019 to join the board of directors of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc.^{7 8 9}

Another former FDA commissioner, Robert Califf, MD, has been serving as a senior adviser to Verily since 2017. Additionally, in 2019, Dr. Califf was hired by Alphabet to serve as head of strategy and policy for Verily and Google Health.^{4 10 11}

“[I]t is an honor to join Flagship Pioneering in its efforts to prioritize innovation, particularly in its Preemptive Medicine and Health Security Initiative,” said Dr. Hahn. “The more we can embrace a ‘what if …’ approach the better we can support and protect the health and well-being of people here in the U.S. and around the world.”⁵

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