The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is shuffling its top drug and biologics regulators, days after the departure of former commissioner Marty Makary.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is shuffling its top drug and biologics regulators, according to a memo seen by CNBC, days after the departure of former commissioner Marty Makary.
Acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Tracy Beth Høeg and acting director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Katherine Szarama will leave their roles, according to the memo. The two divisions are responsible for regulating prescription drugs, including pills and vaccines.
Szarama will remain at the agency, according to the memo. Høeg in a post on X said she was fired. Karim Mikhail will replace Høeg at CDER and Michael Davis will replace Szarama at CBER. Lowell Zeta will take over as acting chief of staff. As of Friday night, an organization chart on the the FDA's website had been updated to reflect those changes.
The shake up caps a tumultuous week at the FDA, which is responsible for regulating products that account for some 20% of consumer spending in the U.S. Makary resigned after days of reports that President Donald Trump wanted to oust the commissioner. And it's the latest shuffle at an agency that's struggled with turnover under the second Trump administration.
Davis becomes the fifth person to lead CDER since last January. CBER has also seen multiple faces in the job over the past year, including Vinay Prasad, who left the division then returned only to leave again after a series of controversies.
The Trump administration hopes to name a new nominee for permanent commissioner in a matter of weeks, the senior administration official told CNBC this week. That person would need to be confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to fill health vacancies, including the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the surgeon general.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis.
