Overview
- FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said Prasad will leave at the end of April and return to his academic post at UCSF.
- Makary stated the agency would name a successor before Prasad departs.
- Prasad briefly resigned in July before returning and later circulated a November memo alleging Covid vaccine–related child deaths, a claim denounced by 12 former FDA commissioners as CDC studies show the shots protect children from severe illness.
- During his tenure he pushed to speed reviews and was credited with a record number of approvals in December, while also imposing new warnings and study requirements for some biotech drugs and vaccines.
- Recent disputes included an initial refusal to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine before later accepting the application and heightened scrutiny of gene therapy evaluations, and his departure aligns with broader leadership turnover at CDC and NIH.