Originally published on THE DEFENDER
Dr. Marty Makary, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears set for confirmation after today’s hearing before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP).
Senators grilled Makary over the government’s decision to cancel the recent meeting of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, recent layoffs at the agency, and whether he would continue to support the current policies on mifepristone, a prescription drug for the medical termination of pregnancy.
Makary did not commit to any specific actions on the controversial issues — only to reviewing the staffing cuts, the science on the abortion drug and to holding future advisory meetings, though he did not say when.
He also blasted censorship of scientific opinions, said he would work with senators to find ways to make drugs more affordable, praised vaccines and expressed enthusiastic support for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, pledging to tackle the issue of toxic food additives.
Although some senators appeared at times frustrated by Makary’s lack of specifics in response to their questions, none suggested they would oppose his confirmation.
If confirmed, Makary will oversee an agency with vast regulatory power, an annual budget of roughly $7 billion and a staff of 18,000. In addition to regulating vaccines, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, the FDA regulates products ranging from infant formula and medical devices to tobacco.
The agency also regulates about 80% of the U.S. food supply.
‘Less likely to ruffle feathers’ than HHS Secretary Kennedy
Makary, a pancreatic cancer surgeon and health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University and former editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, rose to national prominence in part due to his criticism of the U.S. government’s response to COVID-19, especially vaccine mandates.
He has also been vocal when it comes to his concerns about the health effects of pesticides, fluoride in water and overuse of antibiotics.
But mainstream critics of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Trump — including Washington Post columnist Dr. Leana Wen, former head of Planned Parenthood — have also endorsed Makary. Many have speculated he would be “less likely to ruffle feathers” in Congress and the public health world than Kennedy, according to Roll Call.
Early in the meeting, Makary and several senators had a heated exchange over the recent cancellation of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee meeting.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and several Democratic senators blasted the decision to cancel the upcoming FDA vaccine advisory committee meeting. The committee was set to make recommendations on which flu strains the next vaccine should target. They pressured Makary to reinstate the meeting immediately, but he did not commit.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) indicated it was an essential meeting and would be hypocritical for Makary — who criticized the lack of an advisory committee meeting when the agency approved a COVID-19 booster — to not reinstate the meeting.
Makary said he wasn’t involved in the decision to cancel the meeting but also noted that the committee typically “rubber stamps” the flu vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization’s Global Influenza Program (GIP).
“There was a huge difference between requiring every 12-year-old girl in America to take an eighth COVID booster shot versus rubber stamping a recommendation from the international GIP group which was done seven out of the last seven years,” he said.
Several senators, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) asked Makary to confirm that mifepristone is “safe and effective” and to leave the current regulatory framework for the drug in place if confirmed.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Makary to restore the requirement — rolled back under recent administrations — that the drug be administered by a doctor and that adverse event data be collected.
Makary committed only to following existing rules and laws, including the Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, which does ongoing drug safety data collection.
He responded similarly to many questions he received about recent layoffs at the FDA. Makary repeated many times that he was not involved in the decision and would review agency staffing policies.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville asked Makary to weigh in on seed oils and food additives in general. Makary said seed oils needed “a consolidation of scientific research,” and that he thought it wasn’t any single ingredient affecting children’s health.
“Half of our nation’s children are sick,” he said. “And nobody has been doing anything meaningful on this front until we have gotten new momentum and enthusiasm from Secretary Kennedy and President Trump to finally address the root causes of these diseases.”
Makary committed to investigating hazardous chemicals in foods — a task that may become more difficult as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is poised to roll back regulations governing pesticides.
There was one brief mention of the measles outbreak, which has dominated recent headlines, when Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) said that “[Health and Human Services] Secretary [Kennedy] recommended the use of cod liver oil.” He asked whether Makary would be “a more enthusiastic supporter of vaccination.”
Makary said, “I do believe that any child who dies of a vaccine-preventable illness is a tragedy in the modern era.” He added that if a child dies from measles, it is typically because of a comorbid condition or severe malnutrition, and that there is a scientific basis for treatment with supplements for children sick with the illness.
Makary has served as an adviser and on boards of different healthcare for-profit companies but has stepped down from and divested from those organizations. He said this decision went above and beyond what the ethics committee had requested.
The Senate HELP committee is scheduled to vote on Makary’s nomination on March 13.
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