WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Dr. Marty Makary was named head of the Food and Drug Administration, selecting a surgeon and author who gained national attention for opposing vaccination mandates and some other public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, is the latest in a string of Trump nominees who have declared the U.S. health care system “broken” and promised to restructure it. As part of a flurry of nominations delayed Friday night, Trump also picked doctors and alumni Republican Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida takes over from Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat to become the country’s next surgeon general.
Some of Makary’s views align closely with the man expected to become his boss – prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has proposed as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In books and articles, Makary has denounced drug overprescription, the employ of pesticides in food, and the undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies on doctors and government regulators, points that Kennedy has also made repeatedly for years.
Trump said Makary, trained as a surgeon and cancer specialist, “will return the FDA to the gold standard of scientific research and cut red tape at the agency to ensure Americans get the medical cures and treatments they deserve.”
Headquartered in suburban Maryland outside Washington, the FDA’s 18,000 employees are responsible for the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs, vaccines and medical devices, as well as a range of other consumer products, including food, cosmetics and e-cigarettes. Collectively, these products account for an estimated 20% of annual U.S. consumer spending, or $2.6 trillion.
Makary rose to prominence on Fox News and other conservative media outlets for his contrarian views during the COVID-19 pandemic. He questioned the need for masking and, while not opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine, expressed concerns about booster shots in teenage children. He was among a vocal group of doctors calling for greater emphasis on herd immunity to stop the virus, or the idea that mass infections would quickly lead to population-level protection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that COVID-19 vaccinations prevented more than 686,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2020 and 2021 alone. While children had much lower rates of hospitalizations and deaths from the virus, medical societies including the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that vaccinations significantly reduced earnest illness in this age group.
Makary complained that drugmakers were using misleading data to pressure doctors to prescribe OxyContin and other opioids as low-risk, non-addictive painkillers. This marketing has been permitted under FDA-approved labeling since the 1990s, suggesting the drugs are safe and sound for common ailments such as back pain.
In recent years, the FDA has come under fire for approving drugs for Alzheimer’s, ALS and other diseases based on incomplete data that showed no meaningful benefit to patients.
A push toward greater scrutiny of drug safety and effectiveness would mark a major shift at the FDA, which has focused on faster drug approvals for decades. This trend was fueled by industry lobbying and fees paid by drugmakers to facilitate the FDA hire additional reviewers.
Kennedy has proposed ending these payments, which would require billions of dollars in modern funding from the federal budget.
Other management priorities would likely face similar obstacles. Kennedy, for example, wants to ban drugmakers from advertising on television, a multibillion-dollar market that supports many television and cable networks. The Supreme Court and other conservative justices would likely strike down such a ban on First Amendment grounds that protect commercial speech, experts point out.
Less is known about Trump’s choice for the Atlanta-based CDC, which develops vaccines and monitors infectious disease outbreaks.
Weldon is a staunch Republican who describes himself as a “pro-lifer.” More than 20 years ago he passed a law banning human cloning. He also brokered a deal with lawmakers to ban patents on human organisms, including genetically modified embryos. Weldon also spoke out against removing the feeding tube for Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman whose family dispute over her vegetative state led to a national debate.
Weldon’s nomination is likely to appease some anti-abortion advocates concerned about Trump’s nomination of Kennedy, a longtime Democrat and abortion rights supporter, as the nation’s top health official.
Weldon retired from his congressional seat in 2008 after 14 years in public office. Earlier this year, he lost a GOP primary for a seat in the Florida Legislature.
If confirmed, he will be responsible for more than 13,000 employees and nearly 13,000 additional contract workers.
Nesheiwat, meanwhile, will oversee 6,000 members of the U.S. Public Health Service Corps if the Republican-controlled Senate approves her appointment as surgeon general. She is the medical director of an urgent care company in New York. She appears regularly on Fox News and has frequently expressed her support for Trump by sharing photos together on her social media pages.
Surgeons general also have the authority to issue advice and warn about threats to public health in the United States. These clues can influence how the government, the public and the medical community respond to health crises in the country.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
