Philip Morris says it looks forward to former top FDA official Matt Holman joining its team "to pursue a smoke-free future." Credit: FDA
Matt Holman, director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) Office of Science, left the agency to join Philip Morris International (PMI). PMI did not disclose what Holman’s new role would be.
A company spokesperson told The Hill that 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.”
Prior to Holman’s departure, CTP saw its director Mitch Zeller retire this past April. Zeller’s successor, Brian King, took over on July 1. “I know that he led the office through a critical time, including preparing for and overseeing review for the bolus of PMTA [premarket tobacco product application] applications. I’m grateful to Matt for his contributions and unwavering commitment to you all over the years, and I wish him well in his next chapter,” King said in an internal memo.
According to the memo, Holman was on leave and recused himself from all CTP and FDA projects while looking into career prospects outside of government. In a statement to The Hill, FDA did not provide the start date of Holman's recusal.
“Agency employees are free to pursue employment outside of the government and are required to immediately disclose that they are exploring opportunities outside the government,” an FDA spokeswoman said.
“We can say that in this instance, once the agency was made aware by Dr. Holman of his intention to explore new career opportunities, consistent with government ethics rules, he was recused from all tobacco-related regulatory decision making at the agency. This is a personnel matter; therefore we have no further comment,” FDA added.