Clinical Trial Challenges: FDA, NIH Chiefs Chat, Amid Uncertain Future

NIH Director Collins and FDA Commissioner Califf discuss difficulties with ‘big science,’ ‘small crappy trials,’ and ‘data landlords.’

NIH Director Francis Collins and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf got to joke around a little on stage at the Faster Cures Partnering for Cures meeting in New York Nov. 15. The exchanges were thoughtful and entertaining, but more than anything they served to underscore the uncertainty over the future direction of federal health policy after the surprise election of Donald Trump as president.

Califf appeared on a panel that Collins moderated about the challenges in pursing “big science” initiatives like the Precision Medicine initiative and the Cancer Moonshot. They engaged in a friendly...

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