On Feb. 24,2025, Pfizer, Inc. announced that FDA official Patrizia Cavazzoni, MD will rejoin the pharmaceutical company, which makes and sells federally recommended vaccines and drugs, as Pfizer’s Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. Most recently, Dr. Cavazzoni served as Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she led efforts to license and make regulatory and policy decisions on prescription and over-the-counter medicines.1
Cavazzoni led CDER from 2021 until she departed in mid-January 2025. She was among several top officials, including the agency’s second-in-command, who left before the start of the second Trump administration.2
According to Pfizer press release, before joining CDER, Cavazzoni held several senior executive positions in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly two decades, including roles at Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi. During her previous tenure at Pfizer, Cavazzoni led clinical sciences and development operations across multiple senior roles.3
Robert Steinbrook, MD, director of Public Citizen’s health research group said:
Cavazzoni’s move demonstrates that the revolving door between the FDA and the industries it regulates is alive and well and continues to undermine the FDA’s credibility as a public health agency.4
The move follows criticism from newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. that the FDA is overly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, as nearly two-thirds of the agency’s funding comes from the pharmaceutical companies it regulates. Some health experts said that Cavazzoni’s new position at Pfizer “proves RFK, Jr.’s point” about the “revolving door” between health agencies and Big Pharma.5
Robert Califf, MD, former Commissioner of the FDA under President Barack Obama, subsequently moved from the regulatory agency to Google Health and its spinoff, Verily Life Sciences. Scott Gottlieb, MD, who served as FDA Commissioner during President Trump’s first administration, now sits on Pfizer’s board. In 2018, Pfizer paid him at least $335,000 in stock and cash.6 7
Medical Experts Weigh in on FDA-Pharma Conflicts of Interest
Carole Lieberman, MD, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, California, who also holds a degree in public health said:
One would expect Dr. Cavazzoni to have waited until the ‘ink was dry’ on his confirmation before making this move and making headlines. This will erode the trust that Americans have in the FDA and Big Pharma even more because people will realize that [the FDA] will just let drugs be labelled ‘FDA approved’ without doing enough research to test their safety.8
Neal K. Shah, founder and CEO of CareYaya and Counterforce Health, stated:
When FDA officials are employed in the industry, they are likely to make decisions that favor the pharmaceutical companies with which they have past associations and might have future ties. This poses particular dangers for a health care sector where safety is paramount. Former regulators might be too cozy with their former employers to enforce the kind of tough standards that are sometimes necessary.9
Aseem Malhotra, MD, a British cardiologist who is being considered for a top advisory role alongside RFK Jr., has suggested eliminating bias by directly addressing FDA’s funding sources. He argued that the FDA should not receive any funding from Big Pharma, as officials should not be afraid to challenge the industry that supports them. He said:
You can’t fix healthcare without removing corporate interests.10
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Click here to view References:1 Pfizer. Pfizer Announces New Chief Medical Officer. Feb. 24. 2025.
2 Pagliarulo N. Pfizer names Patrizia Cavazzoni, former top FDA official, as chief medical officer. BioPharma Dive Feb. 24, 2025.
3 Pfizer. Pfizer Announces New Chief Medical Officer. Feb. 24. 2025.
4 Nathan-Kazis J. Pfizer Hires Top FDA Official Just Weeks After She Leaves Agency. Barrons Feb. 24, 2025.
5 Sterne E. Fury as Trump’s drug chief quits to join Pfizer for mega salary in move slammed as ‘conflict of interest. Daily Mail Feb. 25, 2025.
6 Ibid.
7 Peebles A. Former FDA Commissioner Gottlieb defends decision to join Pfizer board. CNBC July 2, 2019.
8 Sterne E. Fury as Trump’s drug chief quits to join Pfizer for mega salary in move slammed as ‘conflict of interest. Daily Mail Feb. 25, 2025.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
4 Responses
Wow! No conflict of interest there.
These incestuous relationships need to stop! I hope RFK Jr. is able to address this issue, sooner rather than later. I also hope the pharmaceutical industry has to stop advertising. The money they spend on that could be saved resulting in lower prices to the patient. (In my dreams, I know.)
Central planning never works. Health care used to be affordable out of pocket without insurance for almost every need only a few generations ago. The ‘Fast Track’ approval process. The industry has been buying approvals for generations. The entire modern health care industry needs broken up and decentralized using monopoly rules. The NIH should be outright disbanded and shut down.
When can the every day American family health coverage include holistic doctors, chiropractors, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and all the great potential solutions which do not involve pharmasuetical companies and holier than though spoiled rotten hospital staff and their program administrators? Medical practice has devolved to a culture of lying and corruption, many can’t recommend alternative solutions if they wanted to, so they purposefully refuse to take in new information or learn about holistic cures. People can not acquire degrees in health care unless they submit to the status quo and willingly accept the multitude of misrepresentations and falsehoods which students must agree with to pass the licensing gates.
Higher ups love the current system, they chase the money every single time. The gaudy show of wealth at nearly every hospital in America is absolutely disgusting. Nobody is regulating anything, it’s all one big dog and pony show to generate wealth and prestige. The health care system is designed to strip wealth and financialize illness. That is why we say; They’re not creating cures, they’re creating customers.
There always has to be something new so they can charge more. Half the products both physical and medicinal are subjected to a never ending stream of recalls and safety advisements later. We learn more about health listening to the am radio and podcasts from those whom the mainstream system shuns. The centralized medicinal care system purposefully isolates itself from any and all new information for legitimate alternative treatment and cures. The FDA exists as a structural safe guard to centralized power, benefiting the ultra wealthy and central planners with bestowed immunity by way of ‘FDA approval’ rubber stamps. Which of course are never given to the competition.
Why don’t they approve the mushrooms we hear so much about? The anti cancer solutions we read so much about online? The rife wave healing technologies? Paul de arc taheebo tea? The anti neo plaston technology Burzynski claims has saved so many people from inoperable brain tumors? What’s the real deal with cbd? Why can’t they acknowledge the dangers of bio engineered ingredients and the emf fields all their fancy technology as being the clear and present dangers they are? The primary goal is to convince people they have to be on high priced patented medicines for life. Cha Ching! All the staff just reads from the script, modern medicine has devolved to one big pay to play system. They’re running out of naturally sourced compounds which can be then synthesized to create patented for profit medicines. So now they’re really digging into new and novel synthesized creations such as rnma tech. As if the debacle of SSRI’s was not enough? ADHD so they can prescribe children amphetamines? This is really happening and people continue to subscribe. Truly a bridge too far.
Generations ago when the FDA was first being formed these were the exact arguments against governments involvement in health care. They said it’s not the governments duty or purview to be involved with health care in the first place. They scared the people into the supposed need based on the snake oil argument. And look what we have now, sanctioned snake oil available on every street corner in America, they’re called pharmacies. But you can’t get any stress relief with a basic or affordable substances as prohibitionist systems play hand in hand with pharmasuetical regulation. ‘Medicine’ is a lot more profitable with prohibitionist policies in play. The regulatory system has long since been co opted by an elite set of business interests whom use the governments own regulatory process as a block against competition and a shield against their constant liability for ongoing malpractice and fraud. The FDA sanctioned the move to make vitamins illegal only a few decades ago. Anyone still having faith in that system has been wearing the blinders this entire time.
Why shouldn’t there be a revolving door? That’s the entire point of the system in the first place, it’s primary function. Your health, access to affordable and meaningful care, not even close to a top priority, more like an inconvenient burden they constantly find new work arounds to sidestep. Who’s going to pay for all the fancy stuff and high priced salaries and buildings if they ever actually cured anything or sanctioned natural medicine? The entire system top to bottom is populated by people on the inside track as conflict of interest positions are a job requirement rather than an anomaly to look out for. Sure there is specialty care and meaningful things that happen in hospitals but by and large much of that would not even need to be present if they would help people be more healthy with affordable care and solutions which were accessible before hand. Which is why we say; ‘Who’s still buying this?’
Good Riddance!