Dr. Vinay Prasad was rehired Saturday to lead the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research less than two weeks after stepping down amidst pressure from the White House and right-wing activist Laura Loomer.

A person familiar with the decision told Politico that the White House reviewed past remarks — highlighted by Loomer — in which Prasad criticized President Donald Trump and praised Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), before deciding the FDA could bring him back as the agency’s top vaccine regulator.

Notably, it’s not confirmed whether or not Prasad will resume his duties as the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer.

Prasad announced he would be stepping down on July 29, as he “didn’t want to be a distraction” and wanted to spend more time with his family, a decision which both HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Commissioner Marty Markary opposed.

Yet multiple sources allege his departure came amidst pressure from the White House, in addition to the barrage of attacks from Loomer, calling him a “progressive left saboteur” and a “Trump-hating Bernie bro.”

Additionally, Prasad, a longtime critic of the FDA’s leniency in drug approvals, was the target of further right-wing criticism last month after briefly halting the shipment of a gene therapy to treat Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy due to a series of patient deaths.

In response, The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece titled “Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag,” with a subheader that reads, “A top FDA appointee who doesn’t think patients can be trusted to make their own healthcare decisions.”

Loomer called the news of Prasad’s return “egregious” and said she will be “ramping up her exposés of officials within HHS and FDA” in the coming weeks.

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