Dr. Vinay Prasad, the official responsible for the FDA's vaccines and biotech drugs division, will depart the agency at the end of April, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said on Friday, citing reporting from The Wall Street Journal.
Prasad has led the office that reviews and authorizes vaccines and biotechnology therapeutics for roughly one year. Makary confirmed that federal health officials are conducting a search to fill the post.
Before joining the FDA, Prasad was on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco. He took a one-year leave of absence from that position to assume the role at the agency and, Makary said in an interview, had intended to remain at the FDA only for the duration of that leave.
Commissioner Makary told reporters that Prasad sought to assist with implementing a series of new policies at the FDA. According to Makary, those policy initiatives have now been announced. Makary also said that Prasad had been successful in his objectives and had completed substantial work during his year at the agency.
The search for a successor is underway and federal health officials will lead that process, Makary said. Beyond the timing of Prasad's departure and the fact that a replacement hunt has begun, details about candidates or a transition plan were not provided.
Context and implications
The decision follows Prasad's one-year assignment at the FDA after taking leave from an academic post. Makary characterized the tenure as productive and tied to the implementation of policies that have already been announced.
Federal health officials are now seeking a new leader for the division that handles vaccine and biotechnology drug approvals; the timing of Prasad's departure is the end of April.