Overview
- Multiple outlets report ophthalmologist Houman Hemmati is the leading candidate to run the FDA center that oversees vaccines and gene therapies.
- FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is reported to prefer Hemmati for the post.
- HHS says the selection is still under review, and the White House calls outside reporting speculative.
- Current director Vinay Prasad is set to depart at the end of April after a year marked by policy shifts and a disputed memo on Covid vaccine harms.
- Hemmati has held roles at Optigo Biotherapeutics and Vyluma and has publicly criticized federal Covid vaccine decisions, signaling a potential shift that industry and academic groups want clarified.