Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced Heidi Overton, a senior White House aide and medical doctor, as his pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration. If confirmed by the Senate, Overton will take charge of an agency facing a wide range of pending decisions on drugs, vaccines, food regulation and electronic cigarettes.
Overton, who is deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, has worked on several of Trump’s second-term health initiatives and has emerged as a trusted figure in the administration. Her appointment would place her between competing pressures, including Trump’s priorities, the anti-regulation approach of many Republicans and the anti-corporate stance of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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The post has been vacant since former FDA chief Dr Marty Makary resigned in May, leaving unfinished work on ultraprocessed foods, antidepressants and COVID-19 shots. In a Truth Social post referring to a “Dr. Heidi”, Trump called Overton a smart and respected “rockstar” and said she would deliver on his priorities of faster cures, innovation, lower drug prices and more gains for Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
Kennedy backed the nomination on X, saying Overton has “exceptional judgment, professionalism, discipline and an unwavering commitment to the American people.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Overton studied medicine at the University of New Mexico and holds a doctoral degree in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining Trump’s second administration, she was chief policy officer at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.
In recent months, she has appeared with Trump while he announced major health-related measures, including some of his “most favoured nation” deals with drug companies aimed at lowering prices to levels paid in other developed countries. She also appeared during the announcement of his recent vaccine order, which sought to split the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three separate shots, against the advice of medical groups.
At an Oval Office event on that order, Overton stood beside Trump as he falsely suggested that the number or timing of vaccines could be linked to rising autism spectrum disorder rates. Scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly found no link.
Overton has also been critical of abortion pills. If confirmed, she could be in a position to reverse FDA rules that made them easier to access. In the US, abortion opponents have criticised the administration for not acting against online prescriptions of such pills, which they say weakens state abortion bans.
Her confirmation will require approval from a narrowly Republican-led Senate, and she is expected to face questions from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Its chair, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is a physician, has openly criticised some of Trump’s moves that cast doubt on vaccinations, including the MMR order. Democrats attacked the nomination, with Senator Patty Murray posting on social media: “Heidi Overton is a far-right, anti-abortion extremist who has no business leading the FDA.”
Whoever takes over from Makary will inherit several difficult issues. Before leaving, Makary had faced complaints from health industry executives and anti-abortion activists. Frustration sharpened over the FDA’s lack of action on flavoured e-cigarettes. Companies such as R.J. Reynolds want to market them to adult smokers, while sweet-flavoured vapes have long been blamed for teenage vaping. FDA scientists have been reluctant to back those products as a way to reduce adult smoking.
Days before Makary stepped down, the agency opened the door to more unauthorised electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches entering the US market through a policy change that effectively bypassed FDA staff experts. Drug companies are also expected to push for changes after rejections or reversals involving biotech medicines meant for rare diseases. Complaints from biotech firms, investors and patient groups have grown and have also been taken up by conservative lawmakers.
Makary had tried to address some of the industry’s concerns by announcing new programmes to streamline or speed up drug approvals. But some of those steps created fresh problems for the agency. Several of his deputies also left. Dr Vinay Prasad, who oversaw vaccines and biotech, stepped down in April after criticism from drugmakers, patients and investors. Dr Tracy Beth Hoeg, who was involved in reviewing the safety of antidepressants, COVID-19 vaccines and other widely used treatments, was replaced as acting director of the FDA’s drug centre.
Overton would also have to manage Kennedy’s priorities. One major issue is how the FDA handles peptides. A panel of federal health advisers chosen by Kennedy recently recommended easier access to several peptides popular with wellness influencers and celebrities, despite warnings from FDA scientists that they have not been shown to be safe or effective.
The FDA has also proposed a rule requiring food manufacturers to notify regulators before introducing new ingredients or additives into processed or packaged foods. At the same time, it is still working with the White House to finalise what would be the first official definition of ultraprocessed foods, which Kennedy blames for high rates of diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions.
Under Kennedy, the FDA has added extra hurdles for vaccine testing and blocked the publication of research on the effectiveness of COVID-19 shots. Kennedy also stood with Trump when the president signed an executive order aimed at reshaping childhood vaccinations in the US, despite major financial and logistical challenges.
The agency is also reviewing widely used antidepressants, including whether their use during pregnancy may raise the risk of autism and other disorders. These medicines have long been criticised by Kennedy, who had been a leading figure in the anti-vaccine movement before joining the government.
In recent weeks, the FDA has also been dealing with two summer foodborne illness outbreaks: a cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, and a multistate salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeo peppers. Overton’s nomination, if approved, would place her at the centre of these unresolved battles over public health, regulation and access to medicines.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
