Dr. Vinay Prasad to Head FDA Vaccine, Biologics Division

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 7, 2025.

By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 7, 2025 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has chosen Dr. Vinay Prasad, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco, to lead its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

The division oversees vaccines and biologic medicines, including gene therapies, CNN reported.

Prasad is a hematologist-oncologist, a specialist in treating cancers of the blood. He has been a vocal critic of the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has questioned school closures, mask mandates and COVID booster shots.

He takes over from Dr. Peter Marks, who led the division for 13 years and played a major role in the COVID vaccine rollout. Marks resigned in March, writing in a letter that U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not value science and transparency.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary praised Prasad’s background, saying he has a "long and distinguished history in medicine" and highlighted his oncology research, according to CNN.

Prasad’s appointment comes as the FDA plans to require future vaccines to be tested through placebo-controlled trials.

Public health officials are also reconsidering recommendations for COVID vaccines for children — recommendations Prasad has questioned, because kids face lower risks from the virus than older people and those with weakened immune systems.

Amid news of his appointment, biotech stocks fell more than 5%. Sarepta Therapeutics, which makes a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, saw its stock drop nearly 25%.

Prasad had criticized the FDA’s approval of that treatment, Elevidys, saying its benefits were uncertain.

In a social media post earlier this year, Prasad wrote, “The FDA did nothing to speed gene therapy, other than talk about how they will use uncontrolled endpoints. But we want to speed effective gene therapy, not ineffective gene therapy. The FDA had no solution for that.”

Sources

  • CNN, May 6, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-05-08 06:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords