FDA vaccines chief Dr. Vinay Prasad to leave regulator in April [View all]

Source: USA Today/Reuters

March 6, 2026, 10:26 p.m. ET


The controversial head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's vaccines and biologics unit, Dr. Vinay Prasad, will leave the agency at the end of April.

FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary posted about the departure on social media platform X, saying Prasad would return to the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, where he is a professor, and that he had accomplished much during his one-year sabbatical. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Makary said a successor will be named before Prasad's departure.

Prasad, an oncologist, was an outspoken critic of U.S. drug and vaccine policies, particularly around COVID-19 mandates, before joining the agency. His tenure included a series of high‑profile disputes over product reviews for vaccines, including Moderna's MRNA.O COVID shot, gene therapies and other rare disease drugs.

He was appointed as the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in May last year. Shortly after, he stepped down over questions of his handling of a muscular dystrophy treatment before returning to the role just weeks later.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/06/fda-vaccines-chief-vinay-prasad-to-leave-in-april/89031060007/