FDA’s Makary Says Agency Is Facing a Media ‘Smear Campaign’

US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary defended against accusations his top deputy is unfairly rejecting promising drugs, in a combative television interview with CNBC on Thursday that added to pressure the agency is facing over how it’s run.

Makary called Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s medical and scientific chief and head of its biologics center, a “genius” who is facing a “fatwa” and a “smear campaign” by certain media outlets.

The comments were in response to questions about a Wall Street Journal editorial published earlier this week that questioned Prasad’s role in recent drug rejections. The article titled ...