The US Senate has confirmed Dr. Martin A. Makary as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as director of the National Institutes of Health. Both appointments have raised concerns about their potential impact on public health policies.
Dr. Makary, a pancreatic cancer surgeon and health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University, will oversee regulation of products including drugs and vaccines. His appointment has drawn attention due to his incorrect predictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his expressed concerns about expanded access to the abortion pill.
The new FDA commissioner shares Republican concerns about the safety of the abortion pill, but also supports vaccines. However, he has suggested that vaccine experts need more scrutiny. Lawmakers have warned that staff cuts and hiring freezes by the Trump administration could weaken the FDA’s efforts to ensure food supply safety.
Dr. Bhattacharya, a health economist and professor of medicine at Stanford, was confirmed with a party-line vote. He is known for his advocacy against lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and has argued for reforms in scientific funding practices. Dr. Bhattacharya supports children’s inoculation against diseases but also believes that more research is needed on autism and vaccines.
The appointments of these two individuals, who have reputations as medical contrarians, are part of a Trump administration campaign to cut spending at health agencies. The N.I.H. has faced significant cuts in staffing and funding, while the FDA has been subject to hiring freezes and changes in its grant-making process.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/health/trump-nih-fda-bhattacharya.html