FDA names oncologist Vinay Prasad as its new vaccine chief

The new FDA vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad was an outspoken critic of the agency's response to the pandemic, including the former vaccine chief, Dr. Peter Marks.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday named Dr. Vinay Prasad — a hematologist-oncologist who has been accused of spreading misinformation about Covid vaccines and was an outspoken critic of the agency’s decision to approve Covid shots in children — as its new vaccine chief.

The FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, announced Prasad would lead the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research to agency employees earlier Tuesday and later on X.

Makary called the appointment “a significant step forward,” saying Prasad would bring “scientific rigor, independence, and transparency.”

Prasad comes from the University of California, San Francisco, where he most recently was a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics. He is a practicing physician, according to his website.

He spent much of the pandemic criticizing the FDA’s and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s response to the virus.