focus -WSS

focus

author：explore 2025-10-06 07:54:31 - browse：92835

Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research within the Food and Drug Administration, at a hearing — policy coverage from STAT — Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Greg Nash/Pool via AP

WASHINGTON — A top Food and Drug Administration official wants Congress to dedicate full-time staff to emerging pathogens, after the FDA scrambled to find people for Covid-19 priorities like Operation Warp Speed.

“Vaccines were a pretty heavy duty lift during the pandemic,” said Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, at a Thursday Politico event. “Rather than having to essentially reassign whole groups of people and disrupt things, the idea is to have a group of people who are constantly working on this.”

There is reason for optimism. Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) successfully added an amendment creating that team to a key pandemic preparedness bill that must be reauthorized by the end of September. It would establish this new program within Marks’ division of the FDA, staffed with experts on vaccines, antibodies, diagnostic tests, personal protective equipment, and other medical countermeasures. Among other activities, this team would enhance surveillance programs and prioritize vaccine research and development so that existing platforms can be retooled to fight other viruses.

Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your first 30 days free!

GET STARTED Log In

Previous article： BioMarin wins approval for gene therapy to treat hemophilia A
Next article： Mirador, a new biotech startup, launches with $400 million

hotspot

WSS

Listen: Biogen's situation, Wegovy's risks, & biotech insider trading

Mitch McConnell episode has important public health takeaway

New safety details link Apellis eye drug to rare cases of blindness

Readout LOUD podcast, live from the STAT Breakthrough Summit East

Wildfire pollution widens asthma inequities on Long Island

Medicare Advantage insurers pressure Biden for bigger payments

focus

focus

hotspot

The cancer drug shortage isn’t new — and neither are the solutions

Trump indictment: Who are the 'co

BioMarin wins approval for gene therapy to treat hemophilia A

'Patient friction coefficient' can gauge a clinical trial's patient burden

Dobbs anniversary: the lost opportunity of abortion as health care

Diabetes management: Digital health tools fall short, study says

How one medical school became remarkably diverse

Diabetes management: Digital health tools fall short, study says

Activists slam private health insurers over coverage restrictions

Steward Health Care expansion into Malta flopped

entertainment

Diabetes management: Digital health tools fall short, study says

Hyundai and Kia recall nearly 92,000 vehicles and tell owners to park them outside due to fire risk

Infectious disease expert Jeanne Marrazzo assumes Fauci role

Medicare Advantage insurers pressure Biden for bigger payments

6 surprising facts about sugar

Pence says 'crackpot lawyers' told Trump what he wanted to hear

hotspot

hotspot

focus

hotspot