FDA’s top vaccine regulator departs amid conservative criticism

Vinay Prasad, the top vaccine regulator and chief scientific officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a critic of the agency’s COVID-19 policies, has departed after being on the job for less than three months. 

“Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in an emailed statement. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA.”

The spokesman did not say who would replace Prasad or provide a reason for his sudden departure. 

Prasad’s resignation comes amid mounting criticism from right-wing figures, including activist Laura Loomer and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.)...