US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, resigned Tuesday following 13 months of leading the agency, according to reports from The New York Times and POLITICO. Kyle Diamantas, who previously served in a senior US Food and Drug Administration food policy role, was named acting commissioner.

Makary, a surgeon of Johns Hopkins University, assumed the position in March 2025. His tenure was marked by workforce reductions, turnover among senior agency officials, and policy disputes involving lawmakers, pharmaceutical companies, and the Trump administration. According to POLITICO, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the decision regarding Makary’s departure, with White House approval.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Makary became known for opposing pediatric mask mandates and vaccine mandates and for criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s reliance on international data to support booster recommendations. As commissioner, he focused on vaccine policy, food additive regulation, and dietary guidance initiatives.

Makary appeared alongside Kennedy during a May 2025 announcement removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunization schedule for healthy pediatric patients and pregnant women. He also supported federal efforts to phase out several synthetic food dyes and colorings from the US food supply and endorsed revised dietary guidance highlighting reduced intake of highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates.

According to POLITICO, additional tensions during Makary’s tenure involved pressure from anti-abortion lawmakers regarding telehealth prescribing of mifepristone, criticism from biopharmaceutical companies over regulatory review consistency, and disagreements within the administration regarding flavored vaping product authorizations.

Source: ABC News, Politico, The New York Times