Controversial FDA Critic Dr. Vinay Prasad Resumes Role Amidst White House Pressure and Activist Backlash

The controversial critic of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Vinay Prasad, has returned to his position at the regulatory agency following a brief absence. The announcement was made by Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon in a statement to CNN on Saturday.

According to the statement, Dr. Prasad will resume leadership of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). However, it remains unclear if he will also return to his role as FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer.

Dr. Prasad, a hematologist oncologist, had announced his resignation in late July, citing a desire to avoid being a distraction to the FDA’s work and to spend more time with his family in California. His departure came amidst mounting pressure from the White House for him to step down.

The pressure followed public criticism from right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who accused Dr. Prasad of being a “progressive leftist saboteur” undermining President Trump’s FDA. Loomer had taken issue with Dr. Prasad’s political alignment and past social media posts, claiming they were disparaging towards Trump.

Dr. Prasad, known for his criticisms of certain drug approvals by the FDA and its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, drew further criticism from former officials and vaccine experts over internal memos revealing he had overruled FDA scientists on recommendations for two new versions of Covid-19 vaccines. The then-CBER director rebuked recommendations for broad use of the shots; the FDA eventually approved the vaccines for use in older and immunocompromised individuals but did not recommend them for younger Americans without underlying conditions.

Reacting to the news of Dr. Prasad’s return, Loomer called it an “egregious personnel decision” and vowed to “ramp up her exposés of officials within HHS and FDA” in the coming weeks.