Health Care — FDA’s Makary touts ‘healing’ following DOGE cuts

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  FDA commissioner credits himself with 'healing' agency after DOGE cuts Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary commemorated one year as head of the country's drug regulatory authority on Wednesday, saying he helped bring "healing" to the agency following cuts by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).  © AP In a press call, Makary highlighted the changes that have occurred at the FDA since he came into power. He pointed to a higher rate of new medication approvals, shorter review times, and was particularly excited about his agency's embrace of artificial intelligence tools.    Scientific reviewers are being given AI tools to evaluate medications, but that doesn't mean that reviewers will be replaced by the technology, he said.   "The AIs are not making decisions on the drugs, but the AI tool can demonstrate the concordance rate of an application with other approved products. The AI tool will cut the filing period from 60 days to a matter of minutes."   Throughout his remarks, he repeatedly discussed the staff at the FDA, where roughly 3,500 employees received Reduction In Force notices last year because of DOGE cuts. A significant portion of these RIF-ed staffers were subsequently brought back.    "I came to the FDA at a very tough time, immediately following the DOGE restructuring. While some of those changes made sense with consolidation of IT and procurement services and some of the shared services. It was a hard time for the agency, and I plan to acknowledge that with the staff today when I talk to them," he said.     Makary said he convinced staffers considering retirement to stay on and got rid of plans for major reorganizations within the agency. He cited staffing reinstatements as having helped make "significant progress in healing."  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, I'm Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: FDA grants speedy approval to Eli Lilly weight-loss pill The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new once-daily weight-loss pill from Eli Lilly, adding to the bevy of GLP-1 medications available in the consumer marketplace. 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While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked if he was considering withdrawing his nomination of Casey Means. “Well, we’re looking at a lot of different … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: After man's death following insurance denials, West Virginia tackles prior authorization (KFF Health News)  New state mental health center set to open doors in Newark (New Jersey Monitor)  Iowa Senate drops insurer, managed care limits from subacute mental health bill (Iowa Capital Dispatch)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: NIH director's invocation of Vannevar Bush's legacy to promote Trump science policies sparks pushback (Stat)   Hospitals need to up their game on the food they serve, federal officials say (MedPage Today)  Making custom CRISPR therapies could be harder than initially thought (Endpoints News)  What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Seniors can't afford Washington's stealth Medicare cuts Is RFK Jr. trying to make the lives of autistic Americans as hard as possible?   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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