Makary FDA Confirmation Hearing Set for 3/6
The Senate Health Education Labor & Pensions committee has announced a 3/6 confirmation hearing to review the nomination of Johns Hopkins surgeon and public policy researcher Marty Makary (see earlier story) as the next FDA commissioner. Makary was selected to correct FDA’s course, according to president Trump, who says the agency has “lost the trust of Americans, and lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator… He will work under the leadership of HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the childhood chronic disease epidemic.”
So far, FDA watchers have viewed Makary’s selection as a more palatable choice compared to other health-related nominations, and particularly embrace his focus on streamlining agency operations and his stance against over-regulation, which should appease concerns about regulatory predictability and innovation in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. However, in the past, Makary criticized the cozy relationship between government health agencies and industry as “evidenced by closed door meetings and the lack of transparency around clinical trial outcomes data.” He said this has contributed to the “damaged” public trust.
It remains to be seen how much independence Makary, if confirmed by the Senate, and the agency would be given particularly in areas where he and RFK Jr. don’t align. For example, RFK Jr.’s vaccine skepticism has made many headlines, but Makary has described himself as pro-vaccine. Makary has also been very critical of U.S. government health agencies and their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and related vaccine mandates. He has argued that mandating vaccines was not well-supported by science, and he was critical of government agencies dismissing natural immunity in such decisions.
Makary appeared on Fox News Sunday before he was noiminated and defended RFK Jr.’s health priorities. “Number one, he wants to address corruption in healthcare and corruption in our government health agencies,” Makary said. “Number two, he wants to get back to evidence-based research, and he wants to fund research that’s going to answer the big questions of our day. And number three, he wants to address the child chronic disease epidemic… He is talking about health and chronic diseases. It shouldn’t be a political message, and I think you're seeing a lot of people unite around that message.”
Asked about RFK Jr.’s vaccine skepticism and his authority over agencies that regulate them and public health, Makary said “people should not dissect what he said 30 years ago and listen to what he’s saying now. He’s saying very clearly, he’s not anti-vax, and he’s not going to remove or take away anyone’s vaccines.”