We're honored to welcome Dr. Robert Califf, two-time Commissioner of Food and Drugs and founding director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, to The Life Science Rundown.
Dr. Califf joins Nick Capman to talk about how GLP-1 therapies could become a true public health success, and what it will take to get there: affordability, equitable access, trustworthy information, and responsible regulation. He brings the perspective of a cardiologist, clinical trialist, and two-time FDA leader, and he closes on a note of genuine optimism about what this class of drugs may teach us.
Some of what he covers:
The difference between the goal of individual medical care and the goal of public health
Why obesity was long treated as a moral failing, and why earlier drugs fell short
What GLP-1 research may reveal about cravings and behavior more broadly
Why early access followed resources rather than need
How compounding was permitted during the shortage, and why it no longer is for approved drugs
His concern about untested peptides sold online
Why trust follows trustworthy behavior
What success could look like over the next decade
Our sincere thanks to Dr. Califf for his time and insight.
About Dr. Robert Califf
Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, served as Commissioner of Food and Drugs from 2016 to 2017 and again from 2022 to 2025, and previously as FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco. Between his terms, he was head of medical strategy and senior advisor at Alphabet for Verily and Google Health. A cardiologist, he spent decades at Duke University, where he was founding director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and he is one of the most frequently cited authors in biomedical science.
About The FDA Group
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