United States: The U.S. FDA top tobacco regulator, Brian King, received leave status during a widespread elimination of personnel at federal health organizations, as reported by Associated Press.
King expressed “profound disappointment” to his FDA staff before they learned he had been ousted from his position “with a heavy heart.”
“If you make it virtually impossible to create and draft policy, then you are eviscerating the role of the center,” Mitch Zeller, the FDA’s former tobacco chief, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “From a public health perspective, it makes absolutely no sense.”
The FDA employed King in 2022 which led vaping industry stakeholders to express criticism about his actions that resulted in removing thousands of flavored e-cigarette products from the market. Statistics from teen vaping reached the lowest levels during his leadership tenure.
FDA Faces Unprecedented Leadership Exodus
Dr. King’s departure comes after vaccine official Dr. Peter Marks submitted his resignation because he lost faith in the Trump administration’s vaccine misinformation promotion.
Recent months have triggered significant changes in the leadership ranks at the FDA. The entire group of senior officials who monitored drugs alongside food, vaccines, and medical devices has either moved onto new positions or left their roles. The Associated Press reported that former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf wrote in an online post, “History will see this as a huge mistake.”
“The FDA as we’ve known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed,” Califf, who stepped down at the end of the Biden administration, said.
The cuts support the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort to dismiss 3,500 FDA workers and direct investigations toward vaccines along with antidepressants and ultra-processed foods.
The recent departure of top experts from the FDA left Commissioner Marty Makary leading his agency with a concerned workforce and significant positions unfilled.
Makary pledged during his confirmation process to evaluate the recent FDA workforce reduction.
Tobacco & Vaping Policies Under Fire
Political figures, along with parents and members of anti-tobacco advocacy groups, have mounted resistance against the FDA tobacco center.
The FDA has drawn criticism for its delayed approval process of low-risk products for adult use yet faces opposition from anti-vaping groups that demand stronger measures against illegal teenager-targeted vaping devices.
Close to 480,000 Americans die annually from tobacco-related diseases despite historic low smoking rates documented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The initial advertising campaign presented e-cigarettes as potential aids to assist people in leaving tobacco products behind.
The FDA, under King’s leadership, rejected millions of flavored vaping products because they failed to demonstrate enough data supporting adult smoking cessation, according to The Associated Press report.
An organization that advocates for vape companies, the Vapor Technology Association, referred to King’s dismissal as “the first step in correcting the broken mindset that has crippled the FDA and the Center for Tobacco Products over the past four years.”