A top US vaccine official has resigned from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following pressure from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, US media reported Friday.
Dr Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, submitted his resignation after being given the option to step down or face dismissal.
“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary,” Marks wrote in his resignation letter, which was obtained by multiple US outlets. He accused Kennedy of promoting “misinformation and lies.”
Marks, a key figure in the development of Covid-19 vaccines during the Trump administration, has served at the FDA since 2012 and led its biologics division since 2016.
His resignation will take effect on 5 April.
The Department of Health and Human Services responded in a statement to the BBC: “If Mr Marks does not want to get behind restoring science to its golden standard and promoting radical transparency, then he has no place at FDA under the strong leadership of Secretary Kennedy.”
In his letter, Marks cited concern over the rising measles outbreak in Texas, which has seen 400 of the country’s 523 reported cases this year. Two deaths have been confirmed.
The outgoing official warned that declining confidence in science could weaken public health systems.
Earlier this week, Kennedy unveiled plans to restructure the HHS, including cutting 10,000 jobs across its agencies — a move affecting the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kennedy, a known vaccine sceptic, has faced repeated criticism for promoting false health claims that experts say undermine scientific consensus.
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