US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary is leaving his post, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
Makary, in the role for just over a year, had faced criticism both from inside and outside the Trump administration, including for his resistance to authorising flavoured vapes and to tightening restrictions on abortion pills.
"He was having some difficulties," Trump told media at the White House, adding that the role would be filled by a deputy until a permanent replacement is found.
The British-American surgeon is the latest top health official to be ousted under Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Earlier this year, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill left his post. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, left the agency last year.
