In an act that should give comfort to those wondering if RFK Jr. and Trump are truly aligned with the MAHA movement, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will not have pharmaceutical company representatives on their advisory committees going forward. 

Dr. Marty Makary, recently appointed as the FDA’s new commissioner, made the directive on April 17th when he said: “Industry employees are welcome to attend FDA advisory committee meetings, along with the rest of the American public, but having industry employees serve as official members of FDA advisory committee members represents a cozy relationship that is concerning to many Americans,” Makary said in a statement on April 17. “In fact, the FDA has a history of being influenced unduly by corporate interests.” Someone said the quiet part out loud!

The FDA currently has  32 different advisory committees, including panels that advise the agency on vaccines, food, and medical devices, but each FDA committee hac an industry representative - a practice Dr. Makary is now ending. While they have not historically had a vote, their words did tend to sway outcomes per some participants' experiences. Dr. Makary said the directive was issued to ensure the evaluation of new products is done independently without industry influence or lobbying.

“Public trust in the healthcare-industrial complex is at an all-time low. We need to restore impeccable integrity to the process and avoid potential conflicts of interest,” Dr. Makary said. Somebody give this man an aware already. Such truthtelling!