Drug Industry Seeks Stable, Flexible FDA Chief as Makary Departs

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s departure from the Trump administration is seen as a welcome reset for the pharmaceutical industry after concerns agency decisions lacked scientific rigor and consistency.

The chief of the nation’s top food and drug regulator resigned from his post Tuesday, after reports that Makary was under scrutiny for decisions around vaping, rare disease drugs, and access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Makary’s leadership was marked by controversial decisions in the pharmaceutical space, issuing rejections or reversing course on applications to market treatments for rare diseases. Pharmaceutical companies became increasingly skeptical of whether drug reviews and proposed policies ...