Makary's downfall at the FDA

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned this week, just over a year in the role. It seemed sudden from the outside, but was reportedly a long time coming internally, with months of friction with RFK Jr. Apparently, the final straw was his reluctance to approve flavored vapes. I find the chaos worrying, and although Makary announced some promising ideas, like streamlining clinical trials, Bayesian analysis, and reducing animal testing, as STAT news describes, he also oversaw the departure of experienced career scientists, more politicized approval decisions, and eroding evidentiary standards.