Dr Peter Marks, the director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, resigned on Friday, becoming the third high-ranking official to leave the agency this year amid a worsening measles outbreak. In his resignation letter to acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, Marks criticised Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr for spreading “misinformation and lies” about vaccines.
“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary,” Marks wrote. “Efforts currently being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination are concerning.” Marks, who joined the FDA in 2012 and became director in 2016, oversaw the safety of the blood supply, cell and gene therapy, and public health emergencies. He also led Operation Warp Speed during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to anonymous sources, he was given the choice to resign or be fired.
Earlier this week, it was reported that David Geier, a vaccine sceptic, had been selected to lead a study on possible links between autism and immunisations. Marks expressed alarm at the undermining of vaccine science, particularly regarding measles. Kennedy has described measles vaccination as a personal choice and promoted vitamin A as a treatment. While vitamin A can help those already ill, experts stress it is not a substitute for vaccination.
“It is unconscionable with measles outbreaks to not have a full-throated endorsement of measles vaccinations,” Marks told The Washington Post. Measles had been eliminated in the US since 2000, but last year it killed over 100,000 unvaccinated children in Africa and Asia. Marks noted that the measles vaccine “very simply does not cause autism, nor is it associated with encephalitis or death,” but does protect against severe consequences of infection.
Marks is the third top FDA leader to resign this year, following drug chief Patrizia Cavazzoni and human foods chief Jim Jones. Kennedy, confirmed as health secretary last month, has downplayed his anti-vaccine stance, telling Congress he is “pro-safety.” During his confirmation hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders challenged Kennedy on vaccine-autism studies, with Kennedy failing to confirm he had reviewed the evidence.
