FDA’s drug and biologics centers report steep drop in headcount in FY 2025

The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) recently released net hiring data that shows steep job losses at both centers in FY 2025.
 
During the previous fiscal year, CDER experienced a loss of 1,093 employees, contrasting with a net gain of 259 staff in FY 2024. Similarly, CBER reported a net loss in staff; by the end of FY 2025, it had lost 224 employees, after recording a net gain of 105 employees in FY 2024.
 
The data highlights the Trump Administration's efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. These efforts gained momentum in April when Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced a reduction in force of approximately 10,000 positions across the department. This included around 3,500 employees from the FDA. (RELATED: Thousands of FDA staff fired in latest RIF, Regulatory Focus 1 April 2025)
 
As a result of these efforts, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has experienced a steady decline in its workforce since the beginning of 2025. At the end of the first quarter, CDER had a net gain of 14 employees, bringing the total number of workers to 6,058. However, in the second quarter, the organization faced a loss of 121 employees, resulting in a total of 5,937 workers. The third quarter saw an additional job loss of 246, reducing the employee count to 5,691. Finally, in the fourth quarter, there was a significant net job loss of 740 workers, leading to a final total of 5,044 employees.
 
At CBER, there was a similar trend in employee net hiring numbers throughout the year. By the end of the first quarter, CBER had gained 478 employees, bringing the total workforce to 1,373. In the second quarter, however, there was a net loss of two employees, raising the total to 1,420. The third quarter continued this trend with a further decline of 79 employees, resulting in a total of 1,418. Finally, in the fourth quarter, CBER experienced a loss of 190 employees, which reduced the total workforce to 1,339.
 
Steven Grossman, president of HPS Group, who also authors the FDA Matters blog, told Focus that more than half of the departures occurred in the last quarter of the fiscal year, which reflects the actual separation dates of those who retired or were laid off or put on administrative leave earlier in the year. He said that “it is unclear whether there is a residual of such individuals whose later separation dates might contribute to Q1 2026 net losses.”
 
He stated that these losses will significantly impact FDA’s productivity. “As of three weeks ago, CDER/CBER had 6100 employees available to do the work of the two Centers. Those employees would need to be 20% more productive to cover the work that was being done a year ago by 7400 employees. Assuming such a large increase in productivity is even possible, it would still take several years to achieve.”
 
FDA