Makary, a pancreatic cancer surgeon and health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University and former editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, recently authored a book criticizing medical “groupthink,” which he defines as “the human tendency to follow a crowd and not thinking independently.”
During his confirmation hearing, Makary blasted censorship of scientific opinions and committed to helping restore public trust in the FDA and the products it regulates. He said:
“If we have the cure for pancreatic cancer, but only 40% of the public is going to come in and take it because the rest don’t trust us, then that medication is only 40% effective. … So I think we fight bad ideas with more ideas. I don’t … believe in censorship of scientific opinions. I think we need a civil discourse.”
The FDA has an annual budget of roughly $7 billion.
In addition to regulating vaccines, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, the FDA regulates products ranging from infant formula and medical devices to tobacco.
The agency also regulates about 80% of the U.S. food supply.
Kennedy’s team takes shape
Both Bhattacharya and Makary have expressed support for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda and his efforts to address the chronic disease epidemic, particularly among U.S. children.
With their confirmations complete, Kennedy’s team is taking shape, Politico reported.
Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 on Tuesday to advance Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, author and television personality, to the full Senate confirmation vote to lead HHS’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Oz’s name rose to household recognition when he was the host of “The Dr. Oz Show.” He was an outspoken critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If confirmed, Oz would oversee CMS’ more than $1.5 billion budget.
Susan Monarez, Ph.D., President Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
Monarez’s nomination came roughly two weeks after the White House abruptly withdrew its nomination of Dr. David Weldon to lead the agency.
Monarez’s nomination stirred up agitation among some critics who saw X posts that wrongly attributed Biden-era tweets promoting masks, lockdowns and vaccine mandates to her. However, Kennedy said in a March 25 X post that the posts were “erroneously” attributed to Monarez.
“I handpicked Susan for this job because she is a longtime champion of MAHA values, and a caring, compassionate and brilliant microbiologist and a tech wizard who will reorient CDC toward public health and gold-standard science,” he said.
Related articles in The Defender
- Breaking: Makary, Bhattacharya Nominations Move to Full Senate Vote, But Trump Pulls Weldon Nomination to Lead CDC
- Bhattacharya Opposes Vaccine Mandates, Promises to Tackle Chronic Disease Epidemic
- Trump Taps Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Co-author of ‘Great Barrington Declaration,’ to Lead NIH
- Trump’s Pick to Lead FDA Blasts Censorship, Praises MAHA
- Dr. Marty Makary: Medical ‘Groupthink’ Harms Patients, Especially Kids
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Saeed Qureshi
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New Leaders At NIH And FDA
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