Dr. Marty Makary is no longer the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, according to a resignation notice posted on social media by President Donald Trump on May 12.
Makary wrote in a text to Trump that he was resigning, effective Tuesday. Makary did not provide a reason for the resignation.
Makary “was having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on, and he’s going to do well,” Trump told reporters outside the White House in Washington.
“So much was accomplished under his leadership. He was a hard worker, who was respected by all, and will go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine,” the president added in another social media post.
Kyle Diamantas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food, will be the acting FDA commissioner, according to Trump.
Trump declined to say whether Makary resigned or was fired.
The FDA and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Makary was sworn in on April 1, 2025, after being confirmed by the Senate.
Before joining the administration, he was a cancer surgeon at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. His books and articles include “Unaccountable—What Hospitals Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care.”
Makary’s resignation was preceded by the departure of Dr. Vinay Prasad as the FDA’s top vaccine official. Prasad, who left the government in 2025 before coming back shortly thereafter, and Makary are close friends.
Makary had faced criticism from companies, lobbyists, and others for agency officials declining to approve certain drugs, including a cancer drug made by Replimune. Makary had defended the decisions in television interviews as following the evidence.
Some Republicans had also taken issue with the FDA’s review of mifepristone, an abortion drug.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on X on Tuesday that Makary’s exit was “welcome news” in part because he “slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone.”
