This is CBSI on the world.

I'm John Batchel.

I welcome my colleague Henry Miller, Dr. Henry Miller, physician and molecular biologist,

the Glenn Swagger Distinguished Fellow at the American Council on Science and Health.

It's important to remember that in Henry's youth,

he was at the FDA founding director of the Office of Biotechnology, and we address the FDA here in 2025. Henry, I read your most recent column, and I've watched around the editorials about Doge.

It would appear that the FDA has had a visit from the Doge boys, as they're called by the friendly press, and the Doge boys have mandated 3,500 exits from the FDA.

That's a lot of people I don't know, so I specifically concentrate on the San Francisco Lab.

What's happened, Henry?

Who are these reviewers?

What do they do and what does it mean that they're gone?

Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

Well, the early estimates have been that 3,500 FDA employees were fired. That's about 20% of the

agency's workforce. And although the new commissioner, Marty McCarrie denies that there

were inspectors and reviewers of new drugs and other products let go,

that's just not true.

It's demonstrably a lie.

The San Francisco lab that you referred to is just one of many losses to the agency.

And I should point out that FDA is perhaps the most ubiquitous and one of the most important

federal agencies.

It regulates some 20 cents of every consumer dollar.

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