In April 2025, announcements from the two most influential biomedical agencies in the US, the FDA and the NIH, declared that both will seek to reduce and minimize animal-based testing and experimentation. These declarations sparked joy in some circles, and deep concern in others that was reflected in a 28% fall in the share price of Charles River Labs (NYSE: NYSE:CRL).
Rick Pazdur, MD, the newly appointed director for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, has been described as “greyhound thin” as a result of his dedication to cycling and lifting weights in the gym each day and, for a long time, a vegetarian diet. I first met him when he was the director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products (ODP) within CDER, in 2009.
