November 4, 2025
FDA or TMZ? You decide
FDA described as a "clown show" amid latest scandal; top drug regulator is out
Texts, grudges, and a lawsuit — commenters say the FDA is a soap opera
TLDR: The FDA’s top drug chief, George Tidmarsh, exited amid allegations he used his post to target a rival, sparking a probe and lawsuit. Commenters are split between calling the agency a circus, blasting the story’s slant, and defending the everyday staff who keep drug safety audits serious.
The internet’s verdict on the FDA’s latest scandal? “Clown show.” Commenters are devouring reports that top drug regulator George Tidmarsh is out amid an inspector general probe and a lawsuit from Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, which alleges he used his new power to settle an old grudge with board chair Kevin Tang. The receipts are wild: ominous texts like “I’m Not powerless” and “[m]ore bad karma to come,” plus, as user duxup highlights, a post-hire move to sideline an ingredient tied to Tang followed by a lawyer’s note floating a decade-long “service agreement” through 2044. It’s giving revenge plot energy, with NYT and Stat News supplying the alleged receipts, and the lawsuit fanning flames.
But the comments are a brawl. One camp mocks the chaos—“At least clowns can be fun,” quips ubiquitysc—while another drags the coverage. Timr calls the piece “trashy, partisan ‘journalism,’” insisting mods swap in the Stat News link. Others drill into nerdy-but-important questions: vibrio asks if the rejected data was actually “lousy,” and whether a boss should overrule specialist reviewers at all. Meanwhile, pstuart defends the rank-and-file, saying FDA audits are deadly serious despite the mess on top. Toss in the Vinay Prasad cameo—cue eye-rolls and accusations of soap-opera scripting—and you’ve got the FDA’s reputation on the ropes, with the crowd split between popcorn and pitchforks.
Key Points
- •FDA’s top drug regulator, George Tidmarsh, left the agency after being placed on administrative leave.
- •HHS inspector general is investigating claims that Tidmarsh used regulatory authority to target Kevin Tang.
- •Aurinia Pharmaceuticals filed a lawsuit against Tidmarsh alleging targeting and misconduct.
- •The lawsuit includes years of texts and emails with taunts and threats allegedly sent by Tidmarsh.
- •The article situates FDA turmoil within broader federal health agency disruptions under Trump’s second term, including the CDC director’s ouster.