Marty Makary resigned from his position as commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday, concluding a 13-month tenure at the regulatory agency that frequently drew the ire of the White House, Congress, industry and the public, Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Kyle Diamantas, who previously worked as the top food official at the agency setting the strategic direction and operations for food policy in the US, will be Makary\u2019s acting replacement. Trump called<\/a> Diamantas a \u201cvery talented person\u201d in a Truth Social post confirming he\u2019d be Makary\u2019s temporary replacement.<\/p>\n Politico<\/a> first reported the resignation and Makary\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n Trump signed off<\/a> on a plan to fire Makary earlier this month, after the president scolded<\/a> the FDA chief for not approving fruit-flavored vapes, according to the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n \u201cHe seems fine,\u201d Trump responded when asked about Makary on Friday. When pressed if he would fire Makary, Trump said: \u201cI\u2019ve been reading about it, but I know nothing about it.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Trump told<\/a> reporters at the White House that Makary is \u201ca great guy\u201d but \u201cwas having some difficulty\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty, but he\u2019s going to go on and he\u2019s going to do well. Everybody wants that job,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n In a Truth Social post, Trump thanked<\/a> Makary \u201cfor having done a great job at the FDA\u201d and said \u201cso much was accomplished under his leadership. He was a hard worker, who was respected by all, and will go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n Makary initially overrode<\/a> agency scientists to halt the approval of the first fruit vapes on the market before the FDA announced the approval would move forward last week.<\/p>\n The vapes weren\u2019t the first stand Makary had taken as the FDA chief. He also clashed with lawmakers on Capitol Hill about drug regulation decisions and a review of mifepristone, an abortion medication, that conservative members of Congress accused him<\/a> of slow-walking. There is abundant scientific evidence on the safety and importance of mifepristone.<\/p>\n The FDA also reportedly stopped<\/a> the publication of research on the safety of vaccines against shingles and Covid, demonstrating a \u201cpattern\u201d of \u201cnot letting information out that might support the general safety of vaccines\u201d, said Janet Woodcock, former acting FDA commissioner. Other controversial decisions on vaccines included a refusal to consider<\/a> Moderna\u2019s new flu vaccine, a decision that was soon reversed after public backlash.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has shied away<\/a> from discussing its unpopular changes to routine vaccine recommendations before the midterm elections.<\/p>\n \u201cVaccines have really gotten their attention,\u201d said Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and a former associate commissioner at the FDA. \u201cThey do understand that they\u2019ve gone too far for the American people on vaccines.\u201d<\/p>\n The FDA\u2019s \u201cmismanagement and bungled drug reviews\u201d have \u201cchilled investments in life-saving, innovative cures\u201d, Darin LaHood, a Republican congressman from Illinois, said at the House ways and means committee budget hearing last month. Ron Johnson, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, said in March that he was investigating<\/a> the FDA for rejections of rare disease treatments.<\/p>\n Waves of layoffs and the appointment of inexperienced officials have created a \u201cmassive upheaval that has been an ongoing feature of daily work at FDA ever since the new administration began\u201d, Lurie said. \u201cIt\u2019s just endless chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n There have also been concerns about revamped guidelines for clinical trials, the commissioner\u2019s new priority review vouchers and \u201cdata-free<\/a>\u201d regulatory decisions.<\/p>\n In response to Makary\u2019s resignation making headlines, Republican senator Josh Hawley called it \u201cwelcome news\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDr Makary was uniquely destructive to the prolife movement. He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone. He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when the data shows it sends 1 in 10 women to the emergency room. He froze out prolife leaders and repeatedly stonewalled Congress. His resignation is an opportunity for the FDA to reset,\u201d Hawley wrote<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Dick Durbin, the Senate Democratic whip, celebrated Makary\u2019s departure for a contrasting reason, saying in a statement that he \u201cvoted for Dr. Makary to head the FDA based upon his commitment to say \u2018no\u2019 if President Trump asked him to do something that would harm America. Dr. Makary kept his word. He resisted Trump\u2019s plan to expose millions of children to the dangers of vaping.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope Dr. Makary will inspire others within the Trump Administration to grow a spine and put the families of America ahead of blind loyalty to this President,\u201d Durbin continued.<\/p>\n