By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) top tobacco regulator, Brian King, has been placed on leave as part of a large wave of cuts across federal health agencies.<\/p>\n
King, who led the FDA’s tobacco control efforts, told his staff Tuesday that he was removed with \u201ca heavy heart and profound disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you make it virtually impossible to create and draft policy, then you are eviscerating the role of the center,\u201d Mitch Zeller<\/a>, the FDA\u2019s former tobacco chief, said in an interview with The Associated Press<\/em>. \u201cFrom a public health perspective it makes absolutely no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n King joined the FDA in 2022 and became a target of vaping industry criticism for ordering thousands of flavored e-cigarettes off the market. During his tenure, teen vaping dropped to its lowest level in 10 years.<\/p>\n His removal follows the recent resignation of vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks<\/a>, who said he could no longer support the Trump administration\u2019s promotion of vaccine misinformation.<\/p>\n The FDA has seen a major leadership turnover in recent months. Top officials overseeing drugs, food, vaccines and medical devices have either resigned or retired. In an online post, former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf<\/a> said \u201chistory will see this as a huge mistake,\u201d The Associated Press <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FDA as we\u2019ve known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed,\u201d Califf, who stepped down at the end of the Biden administration, said.<\/p>\n The cuts dovetail with a push by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr<\/a>. to fire 3,500 FDA workers and investigate common products like vaccines, antidepressants and ultraprocessed foods.<\/p>\n New FDA Commissioner Marty Makary<\/a> now goes to work with many of his agency\u2019s top experts gone and employees rattled with uncertainty.<\/p>\n Makary told senators during his confirmation hearing that he plans to \u201cconduct an assessment\u201d of the recent job cuts.<\/p>\n The FDA\u2019s tobacco center has faced pressure from politicians, parents, as well as anti-tobacco groups.<\/p>\n Critics say the agency has been too slow to approve low-risk products for adults, while anti-vaping advocates say more should be done to stop illegal products aimed at kids and teens.<\/p>\n While smoking rates are at historic lows, tobacco-related diseases still kill over 480,000 Americans<\/a> each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. E-cigarettes were once promoted as a tool to help people quit tobacco.<\/p>\n Under King\u2019s leadership, the FDA rejected millions of flavored e-cigarettes, saying there wasn\u2019t enough evidence they helped adult smokers quit, according to The Associated Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Vapor Technology Association, a group representing vape companies, called King\u2019s removal “the first step in correcting the broken mindset that has crippled the FDA and the Center for Tobacco Products over the past four years.\u201d<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The American Lung Association has more on the health risks of e-cigarettes and vaping<\/a>. <\/p>\n