Moderna, Novavax Drop After FDA’s Top Vaccine Official Exits (2)

Vaccine and biotech stocks plunged after a top regulator left the US Food and Drug Administration, casting deep uncertainty about the future of vaccines and cutting-edge gene therapies.

Peter Marks, a key figure overseeing the review and approval of vaccines and other medications, resigned on Friday, citing friction with the views of new Health and Human Services Secretary and longtime vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Marks told peers that he was asked on the spot to decide whether to step down or be fired, according to people familiar with the discussions.

“Peter Marks has been pushed ...