{"id":11489,"date":"2025-05-07T16:43:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T20:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/?p=11489"},"modified":"2025-05-07T16:56:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T20:56:53","slug":"fdas-latest-appointment-is-interesting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/fdas-latest-appointment-is-interesting\/2025\/05\/07\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA\u2019s Latest Appointment Is \u2026 Interesting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-start=\"250\" data-end=\"825\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-11495\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/fda_building3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"342\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/fda_building3.png 776w, https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/fda_building3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/fda_building3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/fda_building3-768x766.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/fda_building3-144x144.png 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px\" \/>Those of us who follow infectious diseases and vaccine science closely (OK, obsessively) know that the FDA\u2019s <em data-start=\"368\" data-end=\"414\">Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research<\/em> (CBER) plays an enormous role in public health. Vaccines, gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, blood products &#8212; all pass through CBER on their path to approval. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this center became a household name under the steady leadership of Dr. Peter Marks, who has long championed rigorous scientific review combined with clear communication to the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"827\" data-end=\"1010\">Now comes news of a major change. Dr. Vinay Prasad, a highly visible (and often polarizing) physician, scientist, and commentator on medical evidence, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/washington-watch\/fdageneral\/115453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has been appointed to lead CBER<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1012\" data-end=\"1081\">To call this appointment <em data-start=\"1037\" data-end=\"1050\">interesting<\/em> barely scratches the surface.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1083\" data-end=\"1503\">I first learned about Vinay through his social media activity on what was once called Twitter, may it R.I.P. His attention-getting posts on COVID-19 reflected someone brilliant, analytically rigorous, prolific, and passionate about improving the way we generate and apply medical evidence.<\/p>\n<p>When the RECOVERY trial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recoverytrial.net\/files\/recovery_dexamethasone_statement_160620_v2final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">released data showing dexamethasone\u2019s survival benefit<\/a>, and the investigators made the protocol immediately available, he urged us to adopt the findings right away \u2014 not to wait for the (inevitably slower) publication.<\/p>\n<p>He loudly and repeatedly criticized prolonged school closings, correctly identifying that vulnerable populations \u2014 kids attending public schools, especially those from less affluent families \u2014 would bear the brunt of the delays in learning and social development.<\/p>\n<p>He also flagged with alarm the rare but serious clotting side effects of the Johnson &amp; Johnson and AstraZeneca COVID vaccines, issues that ultimately contributed to their withdrawal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2169\" data-end=\"2390\">And he pressed for better evidence on community masking mandates. He found the data wanting \u2014 and let\u2019s face it, masking (especially outdoors) eventually became more a political signal than a meaningful infection control strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2392\" data-end=\"2669\">So persuasive was Vinay on these and other issues that <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ofid\/article\/7\/12\/ofaa581\/6028438\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I invited him on the <em data-start=\"2468\" data-end=\"2500\">Open Forum Infectious Diseases<\/em> podcast<\/a>, where he gave what one colleague described as a \u201chyper-caffeinated\u201d take on the pandemic. No one has come close to his words-per-minute record. A high bar!<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1083\" data-end=\"1503\">In short, he has made a career challenging dogma and questioning medical practices that are adopted with too little critical scrutiny. These qualities &#8212; intellectual sharpness, a relentless drive to improve science &#8212; will serve him well in this important job.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s another side.<\/p>\n<p>Vinay also embraces a confrontational style, especially in public forums. His sharp critiques <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/health\/2025\/05\/trump-admin-picks-covid-critic-to-be-top-fda-vaccine-regulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">can sometimes alienate as much as they illuminate.<\/a> And in the nuanced and emotionally charged world of vaccine policy, that carries obvious risks. Vaccines aren\u2019t just scientific products aiming to improve health anymore \u2014 wouldn\u2019t that be nice? They\u2019ve become flashpoints in public trust, political identity, and social discourse. Navigating this terrain requires careful engagement, deep listening, and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p>While I respect Vinay\u2019s formidable intellect, I hope he brings his best and most collaborative self to CBER. We need a leader who values respectful dialogue, embraces uncertainty when necessary, and sees scientific regulation as a team sport &#8212; and not a zero-sum game or a chance to attack others.<\/p>\n<p>For context, I also know Peter Marks and respect him enormously. He shepherded CBER through COVID-19 with grace and steadiness, during a time of tremendous uncertainty and societal anxiety, and often under intense political pressure. I am especially concerned about the reasons he has given for departure, which likely reflect growing tensions within HHS and a troubling and stubborn anti-vaccine sentiment at high levels.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2327\" data-end=\"2535\">Ultimately, my deepest hope &#8212; and I suspect everyone\u2019s &#8212; is that this appointment of Dr. Vinay Prasad leads to a continued focus on improving the safety, efficacy, and public trust in biologics, especially vaccines. We need rigorous science, honest communication, and thoughtful leadership more than ever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2824\" data-end=\"3033\">Before publishing this, I plan to share the post with both Peter and Vinay \u2014 partly as a courtesy, but also because I believe that transparent and respectful dialogue starts with how we talk about each other.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3035\" data-end=\"3078\">The stakes, after all, could not be higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Those of us who follow infectious diseases and vaccine science closely (OK, obsessively) know that the FDA\u2019s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) plays an enormous role in public health. Vaccines, gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, blood products &#8212; all pass through CBER on their path to approval. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this center became [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-care","category-policy","category-research"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11489\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}