By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, March 31, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A top vaccine official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping down, warning that vaccine misinformation is coloring the country\u2019s top health decisions.<\/p>\n
Dr. Peter Marks<\/a>, director of the FDA\u2019s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said he will resign and retire by April 5.<\/p>\n In a letter to the acting FDA commissioner obtained by The Associated Press<\/em>, Marks said the new leadership under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> does not value science or transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,\u201d Marks wrote.<\/p>\n Kennedy, who has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation, promised during his Senate confirmation that he would not change vaccine policies.<\/p>\n But since taking office, he has said he plans to closely review the safety of childhood vaccines — despite decades of research showing vaccines are safe and save lives.<\/p>\n A former FDA official told reporters that Marks was told to either resign or be fired, The Associated Press<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Marks played a major role in the country\u2019s COVID<\/a> response. He helped lead the fast-tracked development and approval of COVID vaccines and created the name and idea behind “Operation Warp Speed” — which helped get vaccines to people in record time.<\/p>\n \u201cRFK Jr.\u2019s firing of Peter Marks because he wouldn\u2019t bend a knee to his misinformation campaign now allows the fox to guard the hen house,\u201d said Dr. Paul Offit<\/a>, a vaccine expert at Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia. \u201cIt\u2019s a sad day for America\u2019s children.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Robert Califf<\/a>, former FDA commissioner, said Marks\u2019 resignation \u201cshould be frightening to anyone committed to the importance of evidence to guide policies and patient decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n The resignation dovetails with plans by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) to lay off 10,000 workers<\/a> and close several public health agencies.<\/p>\n Kennedy recently called the agency a “sprawling bureaucracy” and blamed it for worsening American health, The Associated Press <\/em>said.<\/p>\n In his letter, Marks also pointed to the current measles outbreak as a warning of what happens when vaccine trust breaks down.<\/p>\n In all, 483 cases<\/a> have been reported as of March 27, according to the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention count.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined,\u201d Marks wrote.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n There’s more about vaccines at John Hopkins’ Institute for Vaccine Safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n