Trump's divisive FDA vaccine regulator self-destructs, will exit agency (again)

It’s unclear what Prasad’s FDA exit means, but some drug makers are happy to see him go. For the second time, Vinay Prasad is set to leave the Food and Drug Administration. In a post on social media Friday, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced that Prasad will exit in April, adding that he got “a tremendous amount accomplished” during his year at the agency. Prasad’s tenure was generally marked by controversy, but he is departing amid a cluster of self-destructive decisions. Those include a shocking rejection of an mRNA vaccine (which was over the objections of agency scientists and quickly reversed); a demand for an additional clinical trial on a gene therapy for Huntington’s disease, which was widely seen as moving the goalpost for the therapy; his startling choice to publicly attack the maker of that gene therapy, UniQure; and alleged abuse of FDA staff, who say he created a toxic work environment. The moves have collectively roiled those within the agency, the Trump administration, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as patient advocacy groups. On Monday, BioSpace reported that financial analysts were all but cheering Prasad’s departure, calling it “a bi