STAT+: Vinay Prasad, in his own words, outlines the philosophy he’ll bring to the FDA
Vinay Prasad, tapped to be a top official at the FDA, has never shied from speaking his mind.
People seeking roles in government are often careful about what they say in public, or at least somewhat hesitant to freely share their opinions. It’s difficult to know exactly what’s going on in their heads.
Not Vinay Prasad. The new top regulator of vaccines and gene therapies at the Food and Drug Administration has never shied away from speaking his mind — whether in academic papers, on social media, or on a diary-esque Substack called “Vinay Prasad’s Observations and Thoughts.”
Like FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Prasad is a classic contrarian. The oncologist and hematologist has relentlessly called out perceived conflicts of interest in health care and the high prices commanded by various approved medical products, not to mention what he often sees as the limited evidence of their effectiveness. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he criticized the use of boosters in young people and vaccine mandates, among much else.
