FDA tobacco official placed on administrative leave amid agency upheaval
FDA’s chief tobacco regulator, Brian King, has been placed on administrative leave amid sweeping workforce cuts that have left a significant leadership void, drawing criticism from former FDA head Robert Califf. The agency now faces major challenges as it undergoes transformative changes under new commissioner Marty Makary.
Published on April 2, 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is undergoing a major shakeup as its chief tobacco regulator, Brian King, was placed on administrative leave on April 1, 2025. This move comes as part of extensive workforce cuts that have led to a significant disruption across several FDA departments, including tobacco oversight, drug review, and vaccine regulation. Many top experts have either resigned or retired, creating a leadership vacuum that raises concerns about the agency’s future capacity to confront public health challenges.
Former FDA head Robert Califf has openly criticized the changes, asserting that the mass layoffs are detrimental to public health. Meanwhile, the newly confirmed commissioner Marty Makary now faces the difficult task of rebuilding an understaffed and demoralized workforce amid plans by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to rethink and scrutinize various health products. Additional departures across the agency, including shifts in vaccine leadership, underscore the transformative and controversial nature of these latest actions at the FDA.