​At rare disease panel, ex-FDA new drug head preaches evidence over empathy

A former FDA official who raised concerns last year over the agency’s decision to approve a rare disease drug made by Cambridge-based Sarepta Therapeutics said on Tuesday that regulators must prioritize clinical data over “empathy” for patients. The remarks by John Jenkins, who retired from the FDA in January as director of the office of new drugs after more than two decades at the agency, came during a panel discussion at the Massachusetts State House that was organized by trade group MassBio…