Dark times ahead at the FDA

With three key posts filled with acting leaders, it seems the FDA can only go downhill

Now-former FDA Commissioner Marty MakaryPhoto illustration: STAT; Photo: Getty Images

By Paul KnoepflerMay 21, 2026

Knoepfler is a professor of cell biology and human anatomy at UC Davis School of Medicine.

I was at the annual American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) meeting in Boston when news broke last week that Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary was being ousted. The general reaction from my colleagues seemed to be a resigned sense that chaos is the new norm.