Makary confirmed as Trump's FDA pick, with Weldon for CDC
Former congressman and doctor Dave Weldon has been nominated by Trump to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Rumours that Donald Trump had chosen Martin Makary as FDA Commissioner have been confirmed, while the President-Elect has also selected Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Makary is far and away the less controversial pick – as we examined last week – but the nomination of Weldon will do little to assuage concerns that the senior health figures in Trump's administration hold views that run counter to medical consensus.
The fear is that their political views and opinions about how the US should handle vaccines, science, and public health could end up outweighing medical evidence when arriving at policy decisions. Both appointments will have to make it through a Senate vetting process before they are confirmed.
Weldon – a former congressman and a medical doctor – has questioned the safety of vaccines, and has been particularly outspoken on the now-debunked view that vaccines can cause autism.
That stance – which is not far away from comments made by Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary pick Robert F Kennedy Jr – could end up having major implications, given that the CDC has ultimate authority on immunisation programmes in the US.
Unfounded vaccine hesitancy is already impacting some important public health programmes in the US and allowing diseases like measles to re-emerge, while CDC policy can have a dramatic impact on how new vaccines are deployed and how well they perform in the marketplace, with knock-on effects on vaccine developers.
For example, changing recommendations on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination policy have had an immediate effect on the revenue potential of new shots from GSK, Pfizer, and Moderna.
There's little doubt that the CDC will be facing a major shake-up in Trump's second term, as the agency has been criticised by Republicans for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was clearly friction between the agency and Trump during his last Presidency.
The 78-year-old agency has a sprawling public health remit and a budget for fiscal 2025 that approves $9.7 billion, and political commentators in the US are predicting there could be sweeping changes in its focus, organisation, and participation in global public health initiatives.
Before the news of Weldon's nomination emerged, current CDC Director Mandy Cohen went on record to say that she is concerned about the future of the agency and the American public.
"I don't want to go backwards and see children or adults suffer or lose their lives to remind us that vaccines work, and so I am concerned," said Cohen in comments reported by Roll Call. "Any misinformation coming from places of influence or power are concerning."
Meanwhile, Trump said on his Truth Social media platform: "As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American family values, and views health as one of utmost importance."
He added: "Dave will prioritise transparency, competence, and high standards at CDC […He] will proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the chronic disease epidemic, and make America healthy again!"
On Makary, Trump said he would help to "course correct" the FDA, adding that the agency has "lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator."
