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Before Aduhelm, Billy Dunn was a superstar at the FDA
Billy Dunn, the regulator at the center of the FDA’s decision to greenlight the controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, was a shining star at the FDA before the Aduhelm saga, according to new records obtained by STAT.
STAT obtained Dunn’s personnel file as part of a Freedom of Information Act request. What stood out to us – besides his grades in undergraduate biochemistry and “basic musical skills” – was the glowing performance reviews he got from his superiors at the FDA.
In 2006, shortly after being recruited to the agency, Eric Bastings, Dunn's supervisor, declared him “one of the very best new reviewers I have worked with.” Dunn’s superiors praised his professional judgment, ability to deftly interact with industry, and his “superb professional reputation in the neurological community” throughout the performance reviews STAT obtained.
“His performance is simply without equal. He is one of the finest medical officers I have ever known,” his 2013 performance review states.
The records add to the mystery of why Dunn — whose close collaboration with Biogen is now being reviewed as part of multiple federal investigations — would risk his unimpeachable reputation to push for the approval of the unproven drug.
Before Aduhelm, Billy Dunn was a superstar at the FDA
Billy Dunn, the regulator at the center of the FDA’s decision to greenlight the controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, was a shining star at the FDA before the Aduhelm saga, according to new records obtained by STAT.
STAT obtained Dunn’s personnel file as part of a Freedom of Information Act request. What stood out to us – besides his grades in undergraduate biochemistry and “basic musical skills” – was the glowing performance reviews he got from his superiors at the FDA.
In 2006, shortly after being recruited to the agency, Eric Bastings, Dunn's supervisor, declared him “one of the very best new reviewers I have worked with.” Dunn’s superiors praised his professional judgment, ability to deftly interact with industry, and his “superb professional reputation in the neurological community” throughout the performance reviews STAT obtained.
“His performance is simply without equal. He is one of the finest medical officers I have ever known,” his 2013 performance review states.
The records add to the mystery of why Dunn — whose close collaboration with Biogen is now being reviewed as part of multiple federal investigations — would risk his unimpeachable reputation to push for the approval of the unproven drug.