HHS Secretary RFK Jr. allegedly considered limiting the role of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and assigning another official to run the day-to-day operation of the agency amid disagreements over his management style.
The Wall Street Journal reported that concerns HHS officials voiced included apparent infighting among Makary’s deputies. Makary reportedly balked at the idea of having someone run daily operations, and those officials have now given him time to improve his leadership style.
Citing sources, the newspaper noted that Makary himself is not pleased with what he sees as “HHS’s disorganization.”
Spokespeople for HHS and the White House told the Journal they have confidence in Makary.
During his time at FDA, Makary has witnessed a lot of turnover at the highest levels. Most recently, George Tidmarsh resigned as director of the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research following remarks he made about a pharma company’s drug. The agency named FDA veteran Richard Pazdur as his replacement on Nov. 11.
Tidmarsh was in office for about 3.5 months, starting in July. He took over for Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, who served as interim director after long-time CDER Director Peter Marks resigned in late March following tussles with RFK Jr.
Makary’s tenure has also included the departure and quick rehiring of Vinay Prasad as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, who also serves as chief medical and scientific officer.