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Top FDA Vaccine Official Dr. Vinay Prasad to Depart
7 Mar
Summary
- FDA vaccines chief Dr. Vinay Prasad will leave his post in late April.
- Prasad's tenure was marked by disputes over drug and vaccine reviews.
- His departure follows controversies surrounding gene therapy approvals.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, who led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's unit for vaccines and biologics, is scheduled to depart the agency by the end of April. Prasad, an oncologist, had previously voiced strong opinions on U.S. drug and vaccine policies before joining the FDA.
His time at the helm of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which he joined in May of the prior year, saw several high-profile disagreements concerning the review of various products. These included contentious decisions related to Sarepta Therapeutics' gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The FDA also experienced ongoing debates with UniQure regarding its gene therapy for Huntington's disease. The agency requested additional studies for approval, a demand the company and patient advocates found overly burdensome and lengthy. This situation led to accusations from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding public misrepresentation.
