Dr. Peter Marks, former director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has criticized demands made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that he found unscientific and untenable. Marks resigned last week after being told he would be fired if he did not step down. Kennedy’s team reportedly sought non-existent data to support anti-vaccine narratives, such as cases of brain swelling and death caused by the measles vaccine, which have no basis in reality. Marks expressed concern about Kennedy’s tenure, noting that thousands of department employees have been laid off without clear plans for restructuring. Kennedy has also hired discredited figures like David Geier to study debunked links between vaccines and autism. Marks warned against weakening regulations around unproven stem-cell treatments, which he described as potentially dangerous. — new from The Daily Beast
