In significant news from Washington, Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has reportedly resigned after being pressured to do so. Marks submitted his resignation letter on Friday, stating that he felt his commitment to scientific truth was incompatible with the current administration's stance. He directly criticized HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., expressing concern over a climate that discourages transparency in favor of misinformation.
Marks, who played a vital role in the development of COVID-19 vaccines during the Trump administration, expressed frustration over the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas in his resignation letter. He highlighted the public health implications of undermining public confidence in established science. The current measles crisis has led to 523 reported cases in the U.S., with Texas accounting for 400 of them, alongside two deaths.
Responding to Marks's resignation, the HHS asserted that a lack of commitment to restoring scientific integrity does not align with their leadership objectives. Under Kennedy’s new strategic overhaul, the HHS also plans to eliminate 10,000 jobs, impacting both the FDA and the CDC. This move has amplified concerns about the future of public health measures and the credibility of health information dissemination under the new leadership, given Kennedy's history as a vaccine skeptic.
