Ten of the twelve former FDA commissioners who criticized the Trump administration’s stricter vaccine approval standards have financial ties to pharmaceutical companies—including $6 million in payments from COVID vaccine manufacturers, a Daily Caller News Foundation review reveals.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

In a December 3 New England Journal of Medicine letter, the ex-commissioners argued that the Trump FDA’s push for randomized clinical trials—rather than relying on “immunobridging” (inferring efficacy from lab tests)—would “hamper the market“ and delay vaccine updates. Yet their disclosed conflicts of interest, buried in fine print, reveal deep financial connections to the industry they once regulated.

Millions in Pharma Payments

Three signatories alone collected $6 million from COVID vaccine manufacturers:

  • Scott Gottlieb ($2.1M from Pfizer as a board member since 2019).
  • Stephen Ostroff ($752K from Pfizer in consulting fees).
  • Mark McClellan ($3.3M from Johnson & Johnson and ties to Blackstone’s pharma arm, which invested $750M in Moderna).

Others, like Norman Sharpless (consultant for BioNTech collaborator Tempus) and Margaret Hamburg ($2.8M from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals), also have lucrative industry ties.

Revolving Door Between FDA and Pharma

The former commissioners’ disclosures reveal investments in biotech firms, venture capital funds, and oncology drug developers—many of which could face stricter scrutiny under the Trump FDA’s new standards. Critics argue their opposition reflects conflicts of interest rather than scientific concern.

FDA’s New Direction: Stricter Oversight

Vinay Prasad, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, recently highlighted 10 child deaths linked to COVID vaccines in a November memo, calling for reform. The Trump administration’s push for real-world efficacy data—not just lab-based “immunobridging”—marks a sharp break from the Biden FDA’s approach, which expanded vaccines to children using extrapolated adult data.

Media Omissions and Public Trust

While the NEJM disclosed conflicts, major outlets like the Washington Post, STAT News, and CNN omitted these ties, framing the letter as a bipartisan scientific consensus rather than a pharma-influenced pushback.

Senate Report Contradicts Pro-Vaccine Claims

A Senate investigation found the Biden FDA and CDC delayed warnings about myocarditis risks in children—despite early 2021 alerts from Israel. The report named Janet Woodcock, a letter signatory, as one of the officials who slow-walked safety alerts.

As the Trump FDA tightens standards, the former commissioners’ financial ties raise questions about whose interests they truly represent.

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