Marty Makary resigns as FDA Commissioner

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned on Tuesday following reports that the White House had planned to fire him, in today's roundup of the news in healthcare politics.

Several news outlets on Friday reported that people familiar with the matter said President Donald Trump had signed off on a plan to fire Makary. When asked about Makary's potential firing on Friday, Trump said, "I've been reading about it, but I know nothing about it."

Since Makary was installed as leader, the agency has seen a wave of departures from senior-level staff and has faced criticism from pharmaceutical industry groups, anti-abortion advocates, and occasionally former FDA commissioners.

On Tuesday, Makary resigned, according to an administration official. Sources told both the Post and POLITICO that Kyle Diamantas, who previously worked as the top food official at the agency, would become acting commissioner.

A Trump administration official who spoke to POLITICO said that while the White House had to sign off on the decision to replace Makary, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the one who ultimately made the call.

"It was really Secretary Kennedy himself who made this decision," the administration official said.

(Whyte/Dawsey, Wall Street Journal, 5/8; Diamond/Roubein, Washington Post, 5/8; Jewett/Haberman, New York Times, 5/11; Lim/Gardner, POLITICO, 5/12; Roubein/Diamond, Washington Post, 5/12; Jewett, New York Times, 5/12)

Supreme Court extends order allowing abortion pill distribution by mail

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday extended a temporary order restoring broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone following a ruling from a federal appeals court that blocked abortion providers from prescribing the drug via telemedicine and mailing it to patients.

Earlier this month, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled 3-0 in favor of the state of Louisiana, who sued FDA arguing the agency's decision to remove the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone was based on inadequate or flawed data and that making abortion pills available by mail has allowed patients to access the medication despite the state's near-total abortion ban.

The appeals court ruled Louisiana "has shown that it is irreparably harmed without a stay" and "every abortion facilitated by FDA's action cancels Louisiana's ban on medical abortions and undermines its policy that 'every unborn child is a human being from the moment of conception and is, therefore, a legal person.'"

As a result, the court ordered in-person dispensing of mifepristone to be reinstated until the lawsuit made its way through the courts.

In response to the ruling, two mifepristone manufacturers filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court. Justice Alito temporarily restored access to mifepristone via telemedicine, giving the Court time to consider next steps as it weighs the emergency requests.

Alito's order issued Monday extends the pause on the appeals court's ruling through Thursday, allowing mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine at least through then.

(Marimow, New York Times, 5/11; Jouvenal/Somasundaram, Washington Post, 5/11)

The reversal was met with praise by physician groups. The American Academy of Pediatrics applauded the move but added that there "are unanswered logistical questions about processing these visas."

Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), said it's "encouraging to see the administration thaw the physician visa freeze," adding that AMA is "urging the administration to lift the HHS administrative pause and exempt physicians from the $100,000 H-1B visa filing fee. The nation's physician shortage requires focused federal policy to solve the problem, and ending the visa freeze is one step forward."

(Jordan, New York Times, 5/3; Taylor, Becker's Clinical Leadership, 5/6)

Trump will receive another medical exam at the end of May

President Donald Trump is scheduled to receive a medical and dental checkup at the end of May, marking his fourth publicized visit to medical experts since returning to office in January of last year.

Trump, who turns 80 next month and is the oldest person ever elected as U.S. president, will see his doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 26, according to a brief statement from the White House on Monday.

Presidents have wide discretion over what health information they choose to publicly release. In April 2025, Trump's doctor reported that he was "fully fit" to serve as commander in chief. White House physician Sean Barbabella said Trump was 20 pounds lighter since a 2020 checkup.

Months after his visit in April 2025, Trump had a checkup after noticing what the White House described as "mild swelling" in his lower legs. Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition occurring when veins in the legs are damaged and cannot return blood flow like before, leading to blood settling in the legs.

Trump then had a medical exam in October 2025 that the White House referred to as a "semiannual physical" where he received his yearly flu shot and a COVID-19 booster vaccine. Trump also said he underwent advanced imaging on his heart and abdomen as a preventive screening.

(Binkley, Associated Press, 5/11)