The FDA’s leadership shakeup continues with the departure of Tracey Beth Høeg, the acting head of the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). Multiple outlets report that Høeg leaves her role on Friday amid broader turmoil within the agency’s top ranks. NBC News and The Hill cite a Department of Health and Human Services official saying she is departing as head of the division that regulates both over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Fox News and The Guardian report that Høeg says she was fired, framing her departure as the result of declining to resign.
The reporting also places the move in the context of other recent exits and the absence of permanent leadership. The Guardian notes that other senior officials left around the same time, including Katherine Szarama, acting vaccines chief, and that the agency has no permanent commissioner or deputy commissioner following the resignation of Commissioner Marty Makary earlier this week. Fox News similarly links the leadership departures to a recent resignation at the top. The Hill adds that Høeg is the fifth head or acting head of CDER leadership since the start of the year, reflecting repeated changes in the role.
