Article Summary:
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) two key centers, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), have experienced significant job losses in the fiscal year 2025. CDER lost 1,093 employees, contrasting with a net gain of 259 staff in the previous year. Similarly, CBER reported a net loss of 224 employees, after recording a net gain of 105 in the prior fiscal year.
These job losses can be attributed to the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. In April 2025, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary announced a reduction in force of approximately 10,000 positions across the department, including around 3,500 employees from the FDA.
As a result, CDER has experienced a steady decline in its workforce throughout 2025, with a net loss of 740 employees in the fourth quarter, reducing the total to 5,044. CBER has also followed a similar trend, losing 190 employees in the fourth quarter, leaving it with a total of 1,339 employees.
According to an industry expert, these losses will significantly impact the FDA’s productivity, as the remaining employees would need to be 20% more productive to cover the work done by the 7,400 employees a year ago. Achieving such a significant increase in productivity would take several years.