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FDA, urged to avoid controversy, creates new headache with attack on UniQure

An anonymous diatribe from a senior FDA official about a drugmaker developing a Huntington's therapy is plunging the agency back into headlines.

BusinessBy Robert KingsleyMarch 6, 20262 min read

Last updated: March 18, 2026, 3:41 AM

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FDA, urged to avoid controversy, creates new headache with attack on UniQure

Adam Feuerstein, a senior writer and biotech columnist, is the author of Adam’s Biotech Scorecard, a subscriber-only newsletter about the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology.

Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

There was a telling exchange during a Thursday media call set up by the Food and Drug Administration to enable a “senior FDA official” — he could only be quoted anonymously — to attack UniQure and its experimental treatment for Huntington’s disease.

Robert Langreth, a reporter for Bloomberg, asked the senior official how long he planned to stay at the FDA.

The FDA official responded, “You all know that as background, I’m a professor and I’m a practicing [hematology-oncology] doctor. I do miss my clinic and I miss teaching, and I miss being able to run my podcast and speak freely. But I would say that I serve at the pleasure of the [FDA] commissioner and the [health] secretary and the president, and as long as we’re all in alignment — that me serving is in the best interest of the American people — I will continue to serve happily.”

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RK
Robert Kingsley

Business Editor

Robert Kingsley reports on markets, corporate news, and economic trends for the Journal American. With an MBA from Wharton and 15 years covering Wall Street, he brings deep expertise in financial markets and corporate strategy. His reporting on mergers and market movements is followed by investors nationwide.

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