WASHINGTON — More than 230 people have retired from the Food and Drug Administration since Oct. 1, Chief of Staff Julie Tierney said Monday.
It’s part of a bigger wave of exits: In total, 634 employees have left the agency, which has a staff of about 18,000 people. There are about 2,000 vacancies at the FDA, which is a normal level at an agency that has for a long time struggled to hire and keep employees who can make bigger salaries in the private sector.
The departures come as Congress continues to raise questions about a host of controversies centered on the FDA’s regulatory efforts, including the way it scrutinizes drugmakers who utilize the so-called accelerated approval process, its handling of last year’s infant formula shortage, and the way it regulates vape makers and the tobacco industry.
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