Makary stepped down Tuesday amid pressure over e-cigarette approvals and internal agency dysfunction, Trump confirmed.
2:47 PM
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned his position Tuesday, President Donald Trump confirmed as he departed the White House en route to a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China.
Trump described Makary as "a great doctor" but acknowledged the commissioner "was having some difficulty." The president declined to specify whether he had terminated Makary or the FDA chief had voluntarily stepped down. "He's going to go on and live a good life," Trump told reporters.
Reports of Makary's departure began circulating late last week, though no formal announcement of his job status had been made until Trump's confirmation Tuesday.
A deputy at the FDA will assume temporary leadership of the agency, Trump said. "The assistant, the deputy, is taking over temporarily," the president told reporters.
Makary's tenure was marked by internal dysfunction at the FDA, leadership turmoil, and mounting backlash from drugmakers, physicians, and patient groups over regulatory decisions. The commissioner faced particular pressure regarding faster approvals of flavored e-cigarettes, an issue that drew Trump's criticism.
Over the past year, Makary, a cancer doctor, regularly appeared alongside Trump at events promoting public health initiatives and the president's efforts to reduce prescription drug prices. Despite these joint appearances, his regulatory approach generated opposition from industry stakeholders and medical professionals.
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