Overview
- Prasad stepped down on July 29 to avoid distracting from FDA work and return to California to be with his family, according to HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon.
- In his less than three-month stint as CBER director and chief medical and scientific officer, he tightened approval criteria for Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines, overruling agency reviewers three times.
- He oversaw the FDA’s request to pause shipments of Sarepta’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys after patient deaths, followed by a partial resumption once safety concerns were clarified.
- Right-wing figures including Laura Loomer and Rick Santorum launched vocal attacks against Prasad, and a person familiar with internal discussions said White House pressure contributed to his departure.
- George Tidmarsh has assumed Prasad’s duties in an acting capacity while the FDA begins its search for a permanent CBER director.