Dr. Peter Marks, who has overseen the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine program since 2016, submitted a letter of resignation on Friday effective April 5.
Marks joined the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in 2012 as its deputy director before being promoted to director in 2016.
Marks cited his disagreements with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marks was a key figure, serving as a key official in the first Trump administration in the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Marks was given an ultimatum to either resign or be fired.
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In addition to concerns over Kennedy's stance on vaccines, Marks also noted a recent rise in measles cases, a disease that had largely been eradicated in the U.S. before a decrease in vaccination rates.
"Over the past 13 years, I have done my best to ensure that we efficiently and effectively applied the best available science to benefit public health," he said. "As you are aware, I was willing to work to address (Kennedy's) concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency by hearing from the public and implementing a variety of public meetings and engagements with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary; rather, he wishes for subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
As his resignation was tendered on Friday, several states announced ongoing measles outbreaks. Earlier this month, Kennedy released a letter saying a recent measles outbreak in Texas was a "call to action." Although Kennedy stated that the "MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease," he also claimed that "good nutrition remains the best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses."
Although outside health experts won't dispute the benefits of good nutrition, they say vaccination is the only way to prevent the spread of the disease. The Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic state that Vitamin A supplements can be helpful in reducing the severity of measles among those deficient.
"The ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined," Marks wrote. "Undermining confidence in well-established vaccines that have met the high standards for quality, safety, and effectiveness that have been in place..."
