Peter Marks, the former Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), has epitomized the toxic revolving door between federal regulators and Big Pharma with his recent leap to Eli Lilly.
Marks, a hematologist-oncologist with prior stints in the industry, spent nearly a decade at the FDA starting in 2012, rising to helm CBER in 2016. There, he oversaw approvals for vaccines, biologics, and gene therapies, playing a pivotal role in Operation Warp Speed’s rapid rollout of COVID-19 shots during Trump’s first term. He championed accelerated pathways for rare disease treatments and innovative therapies, greenlighting dozens of products that padded pharma coffers while raising eyebrows over rushed safety data.
His tenure ended abruptly in March 2025, when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. forced him out amid a broader purge of perceived establishment holdovers. Marks resigned in protest, penning a scathing letter decrying Kennedy’s “misinformation and lies” on vaccines and public health. Just six months later, in October 2025, he surfaced at Eli Lilly as Senior Vice President of Molecule Discovery and Head of Infectious Disease Research—poised to steer the company’s push into vaccines and antivirals, areas he once policed.
FDA Director Marks just became a multimillion Pharma executive. He:
— A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) October 7, 2025
•Approved the COVID vax without letting the FDA review it by removing the FDA's top vaccine experts
•Buried every injury but told us it was "safe"
Here I show what Peter did to Americahttps://t.co/DqRDmn6NXi
This isn’t coincidence; it’s payback, pure and simple. Marks’ FDA decisions fast-tracked billions in revenue for companies like Lilly, whose obesity blockbuster Mounjaro alone raked in $11.5 billion last year. Now, armed with insider knowledge of regulatory hurdles, he flips the script: from gatekeeper to profiteer. Critics like oncologist Vinay Prasad, who replaced him at CBER, have long blasted this cycle, tweeting that the “revolving door to Pharma is spinning so fast it hits you in the ass.” Prasad’s words sting because they’re true—Marks joins a parade of FDA alumni cashing in. Former Commissioner Scott Gottlieb landed on Pfizer’s board mere months after quitting in 2019; Patrizia Cavazzoni, Marks’ counterpart at the drug center, bolted to Pfizer as chief medical officer in February 2025. Even Kennedy, who vowed to slam the door shut, appointed industry vets like George Tidmarsh to key FDA roles, exposing the hypocrisy.
Washington’s corruption thrives on this symbiosis. Regulators, underpaid relative to the stakes, dangle approvals that unlock windfalls, then collect their rewards in the private sector. Exact figures for Marks’ FDA pay aren’t public, but senior officials like him typically earn around $183,500 annually under the Executive Schedule—capped by law, with modest bonuses. At Lilly, executive suites are a different beast: CEO David Ricks pocketed $29.2 million in 2024, up 10% from the prior year, fueled by Zepbound’s $4.9 billion haul. Senior VPs like Marks command packages in the $1-2 million range, blending base pay ($500,000+), bonuses, and stock grants that balloon with performance. Glassdoor pegs Lilly’s top roles at up to $545,000 base, but total comp soars into millions via equity.
This isn’t merit; it’s a rigged game where public service becomes a launchpad for personal enrichment. Taxpayers foot the bill for “safety” oversight, only to watch their watchdogs bolt to the very firms they regulated. Until revolving-door laws get teeth—longer cooling-off periods, blind trusts, real enforcement—the corruption festers, eroding trust in everything from vaccines to Alzheimer’s cures.
Marks’ move isn’t an anomaly; it’s the symptom of a diseased system, where loyalty pays dividends, and the public always loses.