Ophthalmologist is front-runner for next FDA vaccine chief, sources say

Dr. Houman Hemmati, an ophthalmologist critical of the government’s Covid vaccine response, is the frontrunner for the role of national vaccine chief at the Food and Drug Administration, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

If selected, Hemmati would replace Dr. Vinay Prasad, who is leaving the agency this month after facing criticism for the FDA’s delay or rejection of several treatments and vaccines, including a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare blood cancer treatment and Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine. Prasad was also the author of a controversial memo claiming that Covid vaccines had killed at least 10 children; evidence supporting this claim has never been published.

The director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) leads the division responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and gene therapies.

A decision on who will lead CBER is likely imminent, these people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Hemmati would be FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s preferred candidate, one of the people said. “Several” candidates are being considered, the other person said. The White House, the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA are all closely involved in the decision.

FORSUBSCRIBERS

This deadly childhood disease could make a comeback

02:31

Although HHS officials are considering Hemmati as the candidate of choice, no decision has been made and it is possible the administration could choose other candidates, the sources said.

Endpoints News was first to report that Hemmati is under consideration. Hemmati did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for HHS, which oversees the FDA, said: “No decision has been made on the selection of the next CBER director. We continue to select highly qualified candidates.”

White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement: “Any reporting on personnel decisions, unless officially announced by the White House, should be considered baseless speculation. »

According to his LinkedIn, Hemmati is the co-founder and chief medical officer of Optigo Biotherapeutics, a Canada-based biotechnology company that aims to combat vision loss and has held leadership positions at other biotechnology companies focused on eye care. He makes occasional appearances on Fox News.

Like Makary before becoming head of the FDA, Hemmati has criticized the government’s response to the Covid pandemic.

During an appearance on Fox News in 2023, Hemmati criticized the Biden administration’s decision to purchase additional Covid vaccines, accusing the government of purchasing more doses to help drugmakers “recoup” their investment.

In an article on X last May, Hemmati praised Makary and Prasad’s decision to end broad support for Covid vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.

Dr. Ofer Levy, director of the precision vaccine program at Boston Children’s Hospital, said the vaccine division needs a strong leader.

“I think we can all agree that there has been some degree of instability within the FDA and CBER,” Levy said. “Academic centers, and especially industry, need a clear signal on the rules of the game and priorities. »