By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, April 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Weeks after ordering staff back to the office, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now letting some employees work from home again.<\/p>\n
The move follows major staff cuts and resignations that threaten the agency\u2019s ability to approve new medicines among other basic functions, The Associated Press <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n An internal email shared with staff on Tuesday said FDA leadership are now \u201callowing review staff and supervisors to resume telework\u201d at least twice a week.<\/p>\n Three current FDA employees confirmed the new policy to The AP<\/em>. They said similar rules were shared with staff who handle vaccines, medical devices and biotech drugs.<\/p>\n The decision follows major disruptions in the federal health workforce.<\/p>\n About 3,400 FDA employees \u2014 more than 15% of the agency \u2014 were laid off last week. The cuts \u2014 by Elon Musk<\/a>‘s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE \u2014 are part of a broader Trump administration push to slim down the federal workforce.<\/p>\n Entire teams working on FDA policy and communications were cut. High-level officials in charge of drugs, tobacco and vaccines have also been let go or have resigned.<\/p>\n \u201cDevastating, haphazard, thoughtless and chaotic,\u201d is how former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessle<\/a>r described the layoffs during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing.<\/p>\n The telework decision may be part of a larger effort by newly confirmed FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary<\/a> to rebuild the agency\u2019s staffing efforts.<\/p>\n He made his first visit to FDA headquarters one day after the mass layoffs, according to The Associated Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Makary needs to rebuild teams and restart the engine of productivity lost to weeks of job insecurity, uncertainty and shortages of team members,\u201d Steven Grossman<\/a>, a former HHS official, said. \u201cTurning commuting time back into work time is a great first step in achieving both.\u201d<\/p>\n The cuts dovetail with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a>‘s plan to reduce the health workforce by 10,000 positions.<\/p>\n When he announced that plan, Kennedy said FDA drug reviewers and safety inspectors would not be affected. But many reviewers were among those cut or asked to leave, according to The AP.<\/em><\/p>\n Most of these reviewers are funded by industry fees, not taxpayer money. In fact, nearly half of the FDA\u2019s $7 billion budget comes from fees paid by drug, device and tobacco companies. About 70% of the FDA\u2019s drug program is paid for this way.<\/p>\n If Congress cuts FDA\u2019s federal funding below a certain level, the user fee agreements say companies can stop paying fees.<\/p>\n These agreements, which support most of the FDA’s staff, must be renewed by Congress every five years. Negotiations between the FDA and industry groups to renew them are set to begin later this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think the agency nor regulated industry can afford for \u2018user fees\u2019 not to be reauthorized,\u201d Michael Gaba<\/a>, an attorney who advises FDA-regulated companies, said.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n Learn more about the role of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n