Patrizia Cavazzoni, a former high-ranking Food and Drug Administration official who oversaw a large portion of the agency’s drug review work, will join Pfizer as its next chief medical officer, the company announced Monday.
Cavazzoni led the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research from 2021 until her departure in mid-January. She was one of several top officials, including the agency’s second-in-command, to leave ahead of the Trump administration taking office.
At Pfizer, she will lead the drugmaker’s regulatory, pharmacovigilance, safety, epidemiology, and medical information and evidence generation. She’ll report to Chris Boshoff, the company’s recently promoted head of R&D and top scientist. Aida Habtezion, Pfizer’s chief medical officer since 2021, is departing to “pursue other opportunities,” the company said.
Cavazzoni’s appointment could resurface criticism leveled at the FDA for a “revolving door” between the agency and the companies it regulates. Past FDA Commissioners Robert Califf, Scott Gottlieb and Stephen Hahn have all taken roles in industry after their time leading the FDA. Gottlieb joined Pfizer’s board of directors, a position he still holds.
The issue could receive sharper scrutiny as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., newly sworn in as the U.S. health secretary, has made rooting out “conflicts of interest” at agencies like the FDA a top priority. (There are rules, including “cooling-off” periods, governing how former FDA employees can interact with the agency if they go on to work in industry.)
A physician, Cavazzoni previously worked in the pharmaceutical sector, holding roles at Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Sanofi, before joining the FDA in 2018. In a January email to staff, she said leaving the agency was an “extremely difficult decision.”
“I will always view my time at CDER as the most important contribution I will have made toward making the world a better place,” she wrote. “While I am leaving my position at CDER, my commitment and support for all of you and your mission will continue after my departure, and I will continue to do my utmost to support and advocate for CDER and FDA.”
