FDA science leader Matt Holman leaves FDA for PMI

Matt Holman, who has served as head of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products since 2017, is leaving the FDA to take a job with Philip Morris International. According to a story in The Hill, a spokesperson for Philip Morris said Holman “is committed to helping existing adult smokers access scientifically substantiated smoke-free alternatives while protecting youth. We are looking forward to him joining our team as we continue to pursue a smoke free future.”

The head of the Office of Science is the second most important position in the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, right behind the director because the head supervises and signs off on PMTA and modified risk (MRTP) applications. It is crucial that the person in that position not prejudge applications and consider all the currently available science in making decisions. Hopefully Brian King and the FDA leadership will recruit someone in that position whose thinking better reflects everything we know — and will learn — about these new tobacco products.

This is a typical revolving door move where high level government employees move from regulator agencies to the regulated industries and I’m sure Holman will be a valuable employee to PMI given his deep understand of how the FDA thinks about tobacco products.

Most important, Holman has been one of the chief architects of FDA’s approach to so-called reduced risk products, including his important August 2020 memo that laid out how FDA would process the anticipated deluge of PMTA (Premarket Tobacco Product Applications) for e-cigarettes and other new products. Significantly, before FDA had analyzed a single application, he described FDA’s “public heath goals” as including

Ensure a variety of ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery systems] have an opportunity to remain on the market to facilitate adult smokers switching to less harmful tobacco products.

And he has implemented this policy vision. As head of the Office of Science he oversaw and signed off on all the “reduced risk” products FDA has authorized to far, including Philip Morris’ IQOS heated tobacco product, despite major issues with its application. He also signed off on FDA’s authorization for RJR’s Vuse Solo and other e-cigarettes.

We have been critical of these decisions as leaving out or downplaying the most important current available science, most notably:

• As consumer products, e-cigarettes do not help smokers quit (“switch completely” in tobacco industry and FDA lexicon). Indeed, the most recent long-term studies shows e-cigarettes make it less likely that smokers will quit.
• E-cigarettes, while perhaps a little less dangerous than cigarettes, have a wide range of disease-causing effects similar to cigarettes.
• E-cigarettes have dramatically expanded the tobacco epidemic by recruiting millions of kids at low risk of initiating nicotine addiction with cigarettes to start with e-cigarettes.

So, it is likely that Holman will fit in quite nicely at PMI.

At lot of people have been troubled by the revolving door aspect of Holman’s move to the tobacco industry.

I prefer to focus on the opportunity for FDA that his departure has created. New FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Brian King now has an opportunity to install of new head of the Office of Science who focuses on the current science rather than the industry’s “harm reduction” rhetoric.

Here’s an excellent NY Times story on the situation.