Henry I. Miller

Biography: 

Henry I. Miller, MS, MD, was the Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at the Hoover Institution. His research focused on public policy toward science and technology, encompassing a number of areas, including pharmaceutical development, genetic engineering in agriculture, models for regulatory reform, and the emergence of new viral diseases.

Miller served for fifteen years at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a number of posts. He was the medical reviewer for the first genetically engineered drugs to be evaluated by the FDA and thus instrumental in the rapid licensing of human insulin and human growth hormone. Thereafter, he was a special assistant to the FDA commissioner and the founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology. During his government service, Miller participated frequently on various expert and policy panels as a representative of the FDA or the US government. As a government official, Miller received numerous awards and citations.

During his time at the Hoover Institution, Miller has become well known not only for his contributions to scholarly journals but also for his articles and books that make science, medicine, and technology accessible. His work has been widely published in many languages. Monographs include Policy Controversy in Biotechnology: An Insider's View; To America's Health: A Model for Reform of the Food and Drug Administration; and The Frankenfood Myth: How Protest and Politics Threaten the Biotech Revolution. Barron's selected The Frankenfood Myth as one of the 25 Best Books of 2004. In addition, Miller has published extensively in a wide spectrum of scholarly journals and popular publications worldwide, including The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Science, the Nature family of journals, Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes, National Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the Guardian, Defining Ideas, and the Financial Times. He was a regulator contributor to Forbes.com and frequently appeared on the nationally syndicated radio programs of John Batchelor and Lars Larson.

Miller was selected by the editors of Nature Biotechnology as one of the people who had made the "most significant contributions" to biotechnology during the previous decade. He serves on numerous editorial boards.

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Recent Commentary

Analysis and Commentary

Bad faith and bad science from NRDC

by Henry I. Millervia Daily Caller (DC)
Thursday, April 12, 2012

In 1989 the American apple industry was sent reeling by an unexpected blow — a lurid “60 Minutes” segment that supposedly exposed the cancer-causing dangers of Alar, a chemical used by some apple growers to synchronize the ripening of fruit...

Analysis and Commentary

White House Interference With Regulators Is Hazardous To Your Health

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The New York Times nailed it perfectly in an April 3 article, “White House and the FDA Often at Odds,” which revealed several unsavory traits of the Obama administration...

Analysis and Commentary

The Real Dope On Medical Marijuana

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes.com
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

If marijuana has therapeutic potential, it should be required to pass muster with the FDA like any other medicine...

In the News

The Cigarette Smokescreen

by Henry I. Millervia Defining Ideas (Hoover Institution)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The FDA is passing up a historic opportunity to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco...

The Cigarette Smokescreen

by Henry I. Millervia Advancing a Free Society
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Cigarette smoking is one of the major preventable scourges of human health. Public health experts and regulators—and yes, even smokers—know it.

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The Cigarette Smokescreen

by Henry I. Miller, Jeff Stiervia Defining Ideas
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The FDA is passing up a historic opportunity to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco.

Analysis and Commentary

Avastin Should Be Re-Approved For Breast Cancer

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Could the new studies provide the rationale for another accelerated approval of Avastin, this time for early stage breast cancer? We don’t see why not...

Analysis and Commentary

The Data On Drugs' Side Effects Must Be Reliable

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes.com
Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Patients, healthcare providers and regulatory agencies need to understand the importance of the quantity and quality of adverse event data, and how to use them. Good medical care depends on it...

Analysis and Commentary

Wrong Rx for the FDA

by Henry I. Millervia Los Angeles Times
Monday, March 5, 2012

Proposed legislation does nothing concrete to lift regulatory obstacles for drug developers and disincentives for potential investors. It allocates $50 million for activities already underway...

Analysis and Commentary

Regulation By Litigation May Be Hazardous to Your Health

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes.com
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The American regulatory process is supposed to rely on scientific review and the analysis of data gathered through appropriate testing. But if recent events are any indicator, the more important data points may be legal challenges and petitions to regulators...

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