Retiring TGA Head Maps Australia’s Post-Pandemic Future

In April 2023, Professor John Skerritt retired after 11 years of exemplary public service as deputy secretary of the Health Products Regulation Group and head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia. “What's really changed and what will persist after COVID? First, I think regulators have become a bit more comfortable in dealing with uncertainty. Uncertainty is the biggest challenge rather than benefit-risk,” he explains. “International regulatory collaboration became the basis of working together on these new products: We exchanged information on policies, on how the clinical data was developing, on the real-world performance of these drugs and vaccines, and on safety and post-approval requirements. These are going to persist.”