Dr. Peter Marks has lengthy steered the FDA’s regulation of vaccines.
GREG NASH/POOL/AFP/Getty Photos
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GREG NASH/POOL/AFP/Getty Photos
The highest vaccine official on the Meals and Drug Administration who was pressured out of the company introduced his resignation Friday, and sharply criticized his boss on the Well being and Human Companies Division: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Dr. Peter Marks has lengthy steered the FDA’s regulation of vaccines. He turned particularly well-known in the course of the first Trump administration for his work with Operation Warp Velocity, which was credited with the quick improvement of COVID-19 vaccines.
Marks, wrote in his resignation letter “it has turn out to be clear that reality and transparency are usually not desired by the secretary, however fairly he needs subservient affirmation of his misinformation and lies.”
In response, an HHS official launched an announcement that if Marks “doesn’t wish to get behind restoring science to its golden customary and selling radical transparency, then he has no place at FDA underneath the sturdy management of Secretary Kennedy.”
The abrupt departure comes as concern has been rising amongst many public well being consultants about strikes involving vaccines underneath Kennedy, who has questioned vaccine security and effectiveness. An impartial vaccine advisory committee assembly was cancelled, the Nationwide Institutes of Well being has terminated analysis on vaccine resistance and misinformation and a vaccine critic has been picked to conduct a controversial examine about vaccines and autism – a hyperlink that has lengthy been debunked.
The announcement was met with disappointment by many within the scientific neighborhood.
“Peter Marks is without doubt one of the most good, devoted scientists and public servants,” wrote Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown College College of Public Well being who served as President Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator.
Marks mentioned he’s leaving the company with “a heavy coronary heart.”
“I go away behind a employees of execs who’re undoubtedly essentially the most dedicated to defending and selling the general public well being of any group of folks that I’ve encountered,” he wrote.
However then Mark’s issued a warning: “Efforts at the moment being superior by some on the opposed well being results of vaccination are regarding.”
Marks cited particular fear in regards to the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas, which has now grown to at the very least 400 instances. Measles may cause a protracted record of probably severe issues and the vaccines present sturdy, secure safety, Marks mentioned.
“Undermining confidence in well-established vaccines which have met the excessive requirements for high quality, security, and effectiveness which have been in place for many years at FDA is irresponsible, detrimental to public well being, and a transparent hazard to our nation’s well being, security. and safety,” Marks wrote.
Marks says he was prepared to work with the Secretary and hopes “the unprecedented assault on scientific reality that has adversely impacted public well being in our nation involves an finish in order that the residents of our nation can totally profit from the breadth of advances in medical science.”