STAT+: Live updates: Marty Makary, Trump's pick for FDA commissioner, testifies before Senate panel

WASHINGTON — Marty Makary, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, is testifying before the Senate HELP Committee on Thursday. The doctor, author, and critic of the medical establishment will face questions about the agency’s next chapter, particularly under the shadow of administration-wide cost-cutting measures and a supercharged focus on chronic diseases. The hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. ET, promises questions about Makary’s views on chronic illnesses, food policy reform, vaccine safety — and how he’ll work on those issues with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Follow STAT’s live updates below for key moments and analysis.

6:00 A.M.

Makary testifies amid FDA uncertainty

SARAH OWERMOHLE

The second Trump administration is still filling out the top ranks of its FDA, and debating how to proceed with last-minute Biden administration actions, from a move to cap nicotine levels in tobacco products to a long-awaited ban for a food-dye additive. Some Trump allies have pressed for the FDA to reverse Biden policy changes that made the abortion pill mifepristone more accessible through telehealth prescriptions. 

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