In 1972, the Division of Biologics Standards was transferred from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)  to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and renamed the Bureau of Biologics. It was responsible for the regulation of all biologics, including serums, vaccines, and blood products.

The intention of the move was to strengthen the division’s regulatory role and dilute the public health emphasis. The FDA itself had become a component of the Public Health Service in the 1960s.

Yet despite its transfer to the FDA, many of the CBER’s present policies, procedures, and practices stem from its years within the NIH. For example, CBER headquarters and its principal laboratories continue to be located on the NIH campus, and it has maintained extensive research contacts with the NIH.