FDA Nominee Martin Makary Avoids Commitments on Important Issues While Promising Vaccine Advisory Meeting

Martin Makary, the FDA nominee, has promised to call the vaccination panel, but he has not made a commitment on important public health issues.

Although he did not commit to rescheduling a postponed meeting to discuss the composition of the next seasonal flu vaccine, Martin Makary, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the US FDA, pledged Thursday to call a meeting of the agency’s vaccine advisory group.

Makary stated he was not engaged in the decision to call off the flu vaccination meeting last week, but he promised to have regular outside input if confirmed when he appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for his confirmation hearing.

He will take over the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently mired in controversy due to a growing measles outbreak in Texas and the wholesale termination of federal employees.

Makary’s employer, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has a lengthy history of raising concerns about vaccination safety.

Public health professionals have questioned Kennedy’s reaction to the measles outbreak, which did not strongly advocate vaccination.

Makary diverged from many public health specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic by voicing reservations about many public health initiatives, arguing against vaccine requirements for the general people and highlighting the protection provided by natural immunity.

Those familiar with Makary’s work say he believes in the benefits of vaccination, despite his past contrarian stances on other issues.

According to Dr. Cody Meissner, a pediatrics professor at Dartmouth who has written an editorial with Makary opposing masks for kids during the COVID pandemic and talked with Makary, “I would in no way consider him to be an anti-vaxer.”

When questioned about a number of contentious subjects, Makary was cautious not to take sides, frequently stating that he had no say in decisions made under Trump or Kennedy’s leadership. Nevertheless, he frequently expressed his deep admiration for both of them.

When asked about the abortion pill mifepristone, which is often used in medical abortions but is being attacked by states controlled by Republicans, Makary promised to examine the FDA’s risk mitigation program data on the medication, which was authorized almost 25 years ago.

Since the FDA is one of several prominent organizations within the Health and Human Services secretary’s jurisdiction, Makary, a doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, would report to Kennedy.

During his own confirmation hearings, Kennedy stated that he wanted the FDA to review the data on mifepristone, which is mailed and sold in pharmacies. Since the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the historic Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion across the country, its use has grown.

Following the hundreds of jobs that were eliminated last month as part of Elon Musk’s and his Department of Government Efficiency’s attempt to shrink the size of the federal government, Makary may also come under pressure to further reduce the number of employees at the FDA. The government is now granting early retirement, and many of those layoffs were swiftly reversed.

When repeatedly questioned about the FDA’s firings, Makary claimed he had no say in the matter and will look into all of the most recent layoffs.

He declared, “I welcome input on efficiencies at the agency.” “At the same time, I want to ensure that the staff, scientists, and food inspectors who are essential to the agency’s core mission have all the tools they need to perform their jobs effectively.”