WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Martin Macari, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and outspoken critic of the COVID-19 orders, to head the Food and Drug Administration, two sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
Makary raised concerns about a number of public health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting protection from natural immunity and opposing vaccine mandates for COVID-19.
The FDA is the world’s most important drug regulatory authority with a budget of over $7 billion. It is responsible for approving new treatments and making sure they are safe and effective before they enter the larger and more lucrative market. It has regulatory authority over human and veterinary medicines, biological medicines, medical devices and vaccines.
The agency is also responsible for maintaining safety standards for the food supply, tobacco, cosmetics and products that emit radiation.
Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump transition team, said he would not speculate or preempt any announcement.
As FDA commissioner, Makary would report to the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
To lead HHS, Trump has appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist who has spread misinformation about vaccine safety and one of Trump’s many contrarians for top administration posts.
As a physician, Makary co-created the Surgery Checklist, a routine for surgeons that improved patient outcomes and has been disseminated worldwide by the World Health Organization.
His most recent book, Blind Spots, was released in September. In interviews promoting the book, he spoke out against what he called “massive overtreatment” in the U.S. that he called an “epidemic of inappropriate care.”
He has advocated for a review of the use of hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women, a reduction in the overuse of antibiotics, and reforms in medical education.
Makary, who lives in Baltimore, has served as a consultant to the conservative Washington health think tank Paragon Health Institute.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed Dr. Robert Califf, a cardiologist and researcher who also served as FDA commissioner in the Obama administration.
In his second term, Khalif revamped the agency’s food and inspection procedures and tried to crack down on misinformation.
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