President Donald Trump wants to remove Dr Marty Makary from the US FDA chief position and the White House has reportedly signed off on plans for the same. Reuters cited sources in the know when reporting on what could be the next major shakeup in the federal health department.
The Wall Street Journal had first reported on Trump’s plans to fire Makary. However, the White House officials noted to Reuters that this decision was not final, while another noted that Makary was ‘done’ and Trump had signed off.
A White House spokesperson, meanwhile, said “President Trump has assembled the most experienced and talented administration in history, an administration that continues to focus on delivering more historic victories for the American people.”
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The decision to remove Makary comes days after the FDA approved the sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes or vapes for adults aged 21 and above. It marked a change from the FDA’s past aggressive push agains vaping. As per the Washington Post, the approval came amid Trump pressuring Commissioner Makary to approve the flavored vapes. The Post also reported that Trump had vowed to make ‘vaping’ great again. So, why does Trump reportedly want to remove Dr Marty Makary? Here’s all you need to know.
Why Trump wants to remove FDA chief Marty Makary
Makary’s firing reportedly comes after a series of controversies that drew criticism from Trump’s allies and supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Makary reportedly did not find fans among conservative media, pharmaceutical companies and anti-abortion groups either, with his decisions.
Makary has reportedly been under growing pressure to produce a safety review of the abortion pill. He has also been criticized for FDA’s twice-repeated rejection of Replimune’s melanoma therapy RP1.
According to Politico, Makary also alienated key constituencies within and without the administration. This came from his push to spend significant capital and bring back Vinay Prasad, the former top vaccine regulator. He had initially resisted the vape authorizations and frustrated anti-abortion Republicans. He also alienated are-disease drugmakers, as per the publication, which noted complaints about the FDA being inconsistent in its review of medicines.
Reuters further reported that the White House is considering FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, who heads up the agency’s food group, as acting commissioner of the agency with Makary likely to exit.
Who is Marty Makary?
Marty or Martin A Makary has worked at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, before joining FDA. There, he was a surgical oncologist and chief of Islet Transplant Surgery. He was named an endowed chair in gastrointestinal surgery, and subsequently promoted to full professor with tenure, as per his page on the FDA site.
Makary has also taught at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and founded the Johns Hopkins Center for Surgical Trials and Outcomes Research. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals. Makary also has New York Times bestsellers to his name, including Unaccountable – What Hospitals Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care and The Price We Pay.
(With Reuters inputs)
