The argument for an independent FDA has taken on renewed interest as President Trump has applied political pressure on the agency (via Twitter and elsewhere), most notably to claim a vaccine approval before Election Day. FDA’s ability to remain independent was a topic of discussion of a panel of five former chief counsels and current Office of Chief Counsel Chief Deputy Elizabeth Dickinson during the Food & Drug Law Institute’s annual meeting 7 October.
The FDLI panel did not come to any clear consensus on the question, with some former chief counsels arguing that...
