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Martin Shkreli was once dubbed the most hated C-suite executive in America for massively hiking the price of a life-saving drug. Ever since his brief stint in prison, however, Shkreli has built a sizable following on X, courtesy of his surprisingly insightful takes on pharma-focused topics.
In keeping with his proclivity to comment on all things pharma-related, Martin Shkreli has just landed a few hard-hitting punches against the new head of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), Vinay Prasad.
The only “emergency” America still faces with covid-19 is that regulators like Peter Marks are either incompetent or corrupt to authorize a booster without clinical, randomized data. https://t.co/EByJciOSGI
— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) August 22, 2024
For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Vinay Prasad is an oncologist who has made a name for himself by vehemently opposing COVID-19 booster shots.
In a recent blog post, Prasad diligently argued in favor of additional randomized trials for COVID-19 booster shots before updating the current inoculation recommendations.
I have talked to the heads of almost ever single one of big pharma in the last 72 hours and he has no idea what is like out there. NONE! And Prasad has NO IDEA what it’s like out there. My people have been in this game for 25 years and they’re LOSING THEIR JOBS and these firms…
— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) May 6, 2025
This brings us to the crux of the matter. Martin Shkreli has now jumped into the growing controversy around Prasad’s appointment by asserting that the new head of the CBER is “nuts,” and has “no idea” about the ground realities of the nation’s pharma landscape.
Martin Shkreli asserts that he has been in touch with the “heads of almost ever[y] single one of big pharma in the last 72 hours,” and that these firms are “gonna go out of business.”
Basically, Martin Shkreli thinks that Vinay Prasad will institute a more meticulous testing and trial regime at the CBER, which would strangle many of the pharma firms already contending with an increasingly competitive landscape and escalating job losses. As an illustration of this evolving paradigm, consider the fact that Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) announced the layoff of 516 employees in April 2025, bringing its total layoffs so far this year to 806. Do note that BMS also shed 2,200 jobs in 2024.
Of course, some would view Martin Shkreli’s criticism of Vinay Prasad as a badge of honor of sorts – an indication that the new head of the CBER is not beholden to corporate interests. Yet, others might interpret this volley as an SOS for a besieged industry.
Do you agree with Martin Shkreli’s criticism of Vinay Prasad? Is it not the very ethos of capitalism that the fittest firms should survive and struggling ones perish? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
