Makary's exit creates new uncertainty at FDA

Marty Makary's departure from the Food and Drug Administration may remove one of the Trump administration's lightning rods for controversy. But it won't solve the organizational upheaval and political jockeying that marked much of his 13-month tenure. Why it matters: There's lots of uncertainty around how the Senate will find the bandwidth to confirm another FDA commissioner while it considers President Trump's nominees for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and surgeon general . The FDA itself is also facing other key internal vacancies, including for directors of the centers overseeing drugs and biologics. And there are questions about whether a successor will continue efforts to streamline clinical trials and other regulatory actions. Driving the news: On Tuesday, Trump confirmed Makary was out after facing internal criticism for not accommodating some of the president's priorities, as well as complaints from health care investors about unpredictable regulatory decisions that rejected some promising drugs. "Marty is a great guy. He was having some difficulty," Trump told reporters, in response to questions about whether he resigned or was fired. He later wrote on Truth Social that the Johns Hopkins physician and researcher "was a hard worker, who was respected by all, and will go on to have an outstanding career in medicine." The task of steering the agency for the moment will fall to Kyle Diamantas, a Florida lawyer and reported friend of Donald Trump Jr. who was heading the FDA's food center. Between the lines: David Mansdoerfer, a senior HHS official in the first Trump administration, wrote on X that Diamantas had the regulatory and legal chops to lead a transition and also was "a good pick for MAHA, and a good pick for business." Possible successors who've been floated include more mainstream figures and veterans from Trump's first administration like former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn and Brett Giroir, ...

Original source: Axios