Surgeon Marty Makary Confirmed as Commissioner of the FDA
PHOTOS ABOVE: Makary on the left, copyright Johns Hopkins; Bhattacharya on right, copyright Stanford.
The senate on Tuesday (March 25) confirmed Dr. Marty Makary as commissioner of the FDA. Three Democrats joined all Republicans in confirming Makary with a 56-44 vote.
On a purely party-line vote, 53-47, the senate also confirmed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Both agencies are part of the Dept. of Health and Human Services, now headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And both agencies have been hit hard by layoffs and are bracing for more.
Makary, who was born in England, is a Johns Hopkins University surgeon and researcher. He gained fame as a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and other conservative outlets, especially for his views during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he questioned the need for masking and suggested less use of the Covid vaccine to increase herd immunity.
CBS News reports Makary has criticized in books and articles the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides on foods and the undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies over doctors and government regulators. But during his March 6 confirmation hearing, he assured senators he would follow the "scientific process" at FDA.
Consumer Brands Assn., the main lobbying force for the consumer packaged goods industry, congratulated him and added, "It’s imperative that the FDA performs its regulatory role effectively, efficiently and transparently, and we look forward to working with Commissioner Makary to support public health, build consumer trust and promote consumer choice.”
Bhattacharya, also a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, also was a critic of vaccine mandates during the pandemic and promoted herd immunity, according to CBS. NIH funds medical research on vaccines, cancer and other diseases through competitive grants to researchers at institutions across the nation.
While most Republicans warmly welcomed Bhattacharya, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who chairs the Senate health committee, pressed him about vaccine skepticism that is fueling a large measles outbreak that already killed a child in Texas, according to CBS.
Cassidy urged Bhattacharya not to waste NIH dollars re-examining whether there's a link between childhood vaccines and autism. It’s been proven there is no link, the senator stressed. When Bhattacharya said additional research might convince skeptical parents, Cassidy responded, "People still think Elvis is alive."
