Top FDA Vaccine Official Resigns Amid Leadership Clash

Peter Marks, a top vaccine official at the FDA, has resigned after a clash with the agency's new leader, raising concerns about scientific integrity within public health policies.

Peter Marks, a prominent figure at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been forced to resign, according to media reports. Marks submitted his resignation to officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday, choosing to leave rather than face termination. His letter, which has been circulated by various news outlets, expresses deep concern over the direction of the HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging that there is an expectation for compliance to misinformation rather than a commitment to scientific truth and transparency.

Marks, who played a critical role in the development of COVID-19 vaccines during the Trump administration, noted the heavy heart with which he departs and expressed alarm over a measles outbreak in Texas. In his letter, he highlighted how such public health crises arise when faith in established scientific principles is compromised. Currently, there have been 523 reported measles cases across the United States, with the majority, 400 cases, occurring in Texas, along with two fatalities linked to the outbreak.

The HHS responded, asserting that if Marks was unwilling to promote “scientific integrity” and “radical transparency,” he was inappropriate for a role at the FDA under Kennedy’s leadership. Marks has served at the FDA for over a decade, assuming the role of director for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in 2016. Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, has initiated plans to downsize the HHS by cutting 10,000 employees, impacting personnel from both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This ongoing conflict raises important questions about the future direction of public health policy in the U.S.