The employees of the United States Food and Medicines Administration who reviewed the Elon Musk Neuralink brain implants company were fired during the weekend as part of a broader purge of the Federal Labor Force, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter .
The cuts included some 20 people in the Office of Neurological and Physical Medicine devices of the FDA, several of which worked in Neuralink, according to the two sources, who asked not to be identified for fear of professional repercussions.
This division includes the reviewers that supervise the requests for clinical trials of Neuralink and other companies that manufacture the so-called brain-compliment interface devices, the sources said.
Both sources said they did not believe that employees were specifically attacked by their work in Neuralink applications.
The loss of approximately 20 employees will hinder the agency’s ability to process and safe requests for medical devices of all kinds, including those of Neuralink, according to external sources and experts.
“It is intimidating for the FDA professionals who supervise Neuralink’s essay,” said Victor Krauthamer, former FDA official for three decades, including a period as an interim director of the office that reviews the requests for rehearsals in humans for brain implants .
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Dismissals benefit Musk Neuralink
“We should be concerned about the entire process and the protection of the people who participate in it.” In response to questions, the White House spokesman Kush Desai told Reuters that the Trump administration “will comply with ethical laws.”
Trump has said that Musk will excuse any conflict of interest between its various commercial interests and their efforts to reduce costs for the federal government. The FDA and Musk did not respond to comments requests. As in other government agencies, the cuts affected scientists who reviewed requests for medical devices and were in the trial, said one of the sources. Employees during the test period usually have less than a year or, in some cases, less than two years of service and have fewer legal protections.
Currently, Neuralink is testing its device, which allows paralyzed people to use digital devices only through thought, in a small number of disabled patients. The company is also working on an implant aimed at restoring vision.
Last year, the FDA granted that device a designation aimed at accelerating federal development and review, the company has said. After spending more than 250 million dollars to achieve the re -election of President Donald Trump, Musk has led a radical effort to cut government spending, even in the agencies that regulate their companies, such as Tesla and Spacex.
The dismissal letters sent to the FDA reviewers cited performance reasons, despite the fact that employees had no problems with their previous performance and had received first level grades several weeks ago, according to the two sources familiar with the matter. The supervisors of the dismissed employees were not consulted before the mass dismissals and found out for their employees, the sources said.
With Reuters information.
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