{"text":[[{"start":8.5,"text":"President Donald Trump is expected to fire Marty Makary, the head of the US Food and Drug Administration, according to people familiar with the matter, adding to turbulence at the medicines regulator and throwing into doubt drug approvals for the biotech industry."}],[{"start":23.85,"text":"The White House was on Friday searching for a replacement for Makary, the people said. The White House and FDA declined to comment. Asked by reporters on Friday night if he intended to fire Makary, Trump said: “I’ve been reading about it, but I know nothing about it.”"}],[{"start":40.3,"text":"In recent days, Makary has come under pressure from anti-abortion advocates, a crucial voting bloc for Trump in the forthcoming midterm elections. Makary’s expected firing was in part because of the FDA’s positions on abortion pills, people in Washington said on Friday. The Susan B Anthony anti-abortion advocacy group on Monday said Makary “should be fired immediately”."}],[{"start":64.69999999999999,"text":"The FDA continues to say the abortion pill mifepristone is safe, while anti-abortion groups argue it is dangerous for women’s health. Anti-abortion advocates were scheduled to meet Trump officials at the White House on Friday."}],[{"start":77.44999999999999,"text":"Shares of biotech companies were little changed on Friday after The Wall Street Journal first reported that Makary was being pushed out. But Hims & Hers, a telehealth company that has drawn fire from the FDA for compounding drugs, increased 10 per cent."}],[{"start":93.35,"text":"Makary’s expected firing is the latest in a series of personnel changes at Trump’s health regulators. In August, Trump sacked the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier in 2025, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr removed all 17 members of a top vaccine advisory committee."}],[{"start":112.44999999999999,"text":"A surgeon from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Makary initially won applause from Trump’s allies for criticising what he called the silencing of critics of the Covid-19 vaccines."}],[{"start":124.35,"text":"“The way that any dissenting opinion was silenced, crushed, sidelined, railroaded, that was remarkable to me,” Makary said at a Stanford University event in 2024."}],[{"start":136.6,"text":"After starting at the FDA in April 2025, Makary was quickly hit by staff cuts at the agency as Elon Musk’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government advanced across Washington. Makary also faced controversy over his deputy at the FDA, Vinay Prasad, a vocal Covid-19 vaccine sceptic."}],[{"start":157.1,"text":"Prasad last year claimed without evidence that Covid vaccines killed at least 10 children. This year, he refused to consider Moderna’s new flu vaccine for FDA approval, criticising the design of scientific trials that the agency had previously agreed. Days later, Makary was summoned to the White House, and the regulator reversed its decision against Moderna."}],[{"start":178,"text":"Makary’s expected firing is likely to sow confusion for the maker of pharmaceutical drugs hoping to win FDA approvals."}],[{"start":186.15,"text":"The FDA regulates drugs in the US, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market. The agency’s decisions on medicines are widely watched by drug regulators across the world and have multimillion-dollar implications for biotech businesses."}],[{"start":200.05,"text":"Trump’s decision to fire Makary “would not be particularly surprising given clashes with Makary and the Trump administration”, Evan Seigerman, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said in a report on Friday. "}],[{"start":212.10000000000002,"text":"“If Makary is ultimately removed, we would view this as a broad positive for the sector, potentially bringing more consistency to messaging, incentivising further investment.”"}],[{"start":228.60000000000002,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1778309610_4475.mp3"}