Vinay Prasad, Booted FDA Vaccine Chief, Makes a Quick Comeback

Well, that didn’t take long. Less than two weeks after being shown the door, Dr. Vinay Prasad is sliding right back into his old job as the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine regulator, the Associated Press reports.

The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Monday that Prasad will once again head the FDA center overseeing vaccines and biotech therapies — the same post he vacated last month after a political and public relations storm fueled by biotech execs, patient groups, and some of President Donald Trump’s conservative allies.

Prasad’s trouble started when right-wing activist Laura Loomer and others dredged up old statements he’d made criticizing Trump. Loomer blasted him online as a “progressive leftist saboteur” and highlighted his public praise for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

But that wasn’t the only controversy swirling. Prasad — a vocal critic of what he sees as the FDA’s too-lenient approach to drug approvals — had temporarily halted shipments of a gene therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy after two patients died. The pause was meant as a safety check, but it enraged families desperate for the treatment and libertarians pushing for freer access to experimental drugs. The backlash was swift, with the Wall Street Journal editorial board, former GOP Sen. Rick Santorum, and others joining in. Within days, the FDA reversed the suspension.

Even with those bruises, Prasad wasn’t without allies. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both backed him, especially given his tougher stance on COVID-19 shots. Under his leadership, the FDA blocked approvals for two new vaccines from Novavax and Moderna and tightened testing rules for future COVID jabs.

In the end, the agency clearly decided they’d rather have Prasad inside the tent than watching from the outside — even if it means bracing for the next political firestorm.