Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

There was a telling exchange during a Thursday media call set up by the Food and Drug Administration to enable a “senior FDA official” — he could only be quoted anonymously — to attack UniQure and its experimental treatment for Huntington’s disease.

Robert Langreth, a reporter for Bloomberg, asked the senior official how long he planned to stay at the FDA. 

The FDA official responded, “You all know that as background, I’m a professor and I’m a practicing [hematology-oncology] doctor. I do miss my clinic and I miss teaching, and I miss being able to run my podcast and speak freely. But I would say that I serve at the pleasure of the [FDA] commissioner and the [health] secretary and the president, and as long as we’re all in alignment — that me serving is in the best interest of the American people — I will continue to serve happily.”

STAT+ Exclusive Story

STAT+



This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts.

Already have an account? Log in

Individual plans

Group plans

View All Plans

To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.

Subscribe