Embattled top US vaccine official Vinay Prasad to step down
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Dr Vinay Prasad has drawn criticism from scientists and former health officials over decisions related to health policy.
PHOTO: US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION VIA NYTIMES
WASHINGTON - A top official who oversaw vaccines at the US Food and Drug Administration will leave his post at the end of April, the agency’s chief confirmed on March 6.
Dr Vinay Prasad was appointed as the FDA’s chief medical officer in 2025 but had since drawn criticism from scientists and former health officials over decisions related to health policy, particularly surrounding the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine.
FDA commissioner Marty Makary said that Dr Prasad “will be returning back to his academic home later next month”, and praised him for getting “a tremendous amount accomplished” during his one-year sabbatical from the University of California, San Francisco.
“I want to thank him for his service and personal sacrifice to take time away from his family,” Dr Makary wrote on X, noting the agency will name Dr Prasad’s successor before his departure.
Dr Prasad’s exit follows a string of controversies, including an instance in February in which he refused to review Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine FDA later reversed course
He has also raised doubts about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine
In a memo in 2025, he alleged that the Covid-19 vaccines were linked to the deaths of at least 10 children – a position that drew public condemnation from a dozen former FDA officials.
Dr Prasad was briefly forced out of his job last summer following pressure from conservative influencer Laura Loomer over past statements about Democrats.
He was reinstated with support from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has a long history of casting doubt on the efficacy of vaccines
