President Donald Trump has ordered the removal of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, amid controversy over his approach to rare disease therapies.
Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist, was appointed three months ago and had recently faced criticism from right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer for his stance on vaccines. Despite opposition from Kennedy Jr. and Makary, Trump has decided to remove Prasad due to concerns that he may attract “hardcore anti-vaxxers” into the role.
The decision comes amid a dispute between the FDA and pharmaceutical company Sarepta Therapeutics over whether to pause shipments of the treatment Elevidys for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Prasad had previously criticized his predecessor’s decision to approve the drug, but Kennedy Jr. and Makary set up a call with him to discuss concerns from Senator Ron Johnson.
Loomer had accused Prasad of being a “progressive leftist saboteur” and supporting universal healthcare and abortion rights, which she claimed were at odds with Trump’s agenda. Trump has now removed Prasad amid the backlash, with Makary announcing Dr. George Tidmarsh as the acting director of the FDA’s biologics center.
The Trump administration is considering splitting the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research into two bodies: one focused on vaccine regulation and one on therapeutics. This move could allow Kennedy Jr. to respond more aggressively to anti-vaccine groups, but has sparked concerns about the influence of pharmaceutical companies in the decision-making process.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/30/white-house-drove-prasad-firing-despite-rfk-jr-makary-concerns-00485972