Marks in Vaccine Consulting Role

With the abrupt ouster of Rick Bright as director of the HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), CBER director Peter Marks has been positioned as the administration’s unofficial vaccine “czar,” providing input to BARDA and other federal organizations working on a Covid-19 vaccine. Politico reports that giving Marks a more prominent role “could ease fears that the recent shakeup at BARDA could slow progress against the pandemic.”

Marks, an oncologist, was referred to by a senior HHS official as a “world-class expert” on vaccines, the story says. A department spokesperson said that “in his role as the head of the FDA Center that regulates vaccines, Dr. Marks continues to collaborate across the government and industry on the development and availability of a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine.”

He reportedly has been asked to accelerate vaccine development and help coordinate between agencies.