Commissioner Gottlieb's resignation: What does this mean for Pharma?

By Dr Nicola Davies

The immediate response of the pharmaceutical industry to the resignation of US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb on March 5, 2019, was one of shock. Biotech stocks plummeted. IBB, an exchange-traded fund that tracks some of the biggest names in biotech, fell by more than 2%. Amgen, Gilead Sciences, and Biogen initially registered the largest individual declines, all falling by more than 2% in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.1 Why was Pharma quite so unsettled by the sudden resignation of a Commissioner who has been notably vocal in his criticism of some industry practices?

Commissioner Gottlieb takes the helm