Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Top FDA official's exit sends ripples through WashingtonPeter Marks, who led the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) for nearly 10 yea rs, submitted his resignation letter Friday. © Greg Nash, The HillMarks cited Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s desire for “subservient confirmation” as reason for his departure.   In a letter addressed to acting Food and Drug Administrator (FDA) Commissioner Sara Brenner, Marks wrote he had decided to resign effective April 5. According to reports, Marks was given the choice to resign or be fired.   On Monday, stocks in major vaccine companies including Moderna and Novavax fell by more than 8 percent, in apparent response to Marks's resignation. As CBER director, Marks was tasked with ensuring the safety and efficacy of biological products like vaccines.   "[Marks’s] departure from the FDA is a very worrisome signal that this administration is moving forward in a real way with Secretary Kennedy's agenda to undermine trust in vaccines, and that is something that will gravely affect the health of people around the country,” said Richard Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson foundation and a former acting CDC director.   Public health experts and scientists have expressed fear about Kennedy’s long history as an anti-vaccine advocate since President Trump nominated him as HHS secretary shortly after the election.  Marks’s ouster brings to a head a series of developments that seem to bolster concerns about the agency’s direction, including reportedly tasking a major player in the anti-vaccine community to conduct a study looking for a link between vaccines and autism that Kennedy insists is real, despite many studies showing otherwise.    The top vaccine official had stated he had been “willing to work to address the Secretary’s concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency by hearing from the public and implementing a variety of different public meetings and engagements with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.”  “However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” Marks wrote.  Marks spoke in support of vaccinations, writing that they are “as old as our great nation” and noting how George Washington had considered smallpox vaccinations for his troops during the American Revolution.   Marks joined the FDA in 2012 as deputy center director for CBER and went on to become center director in 2016. He was a key part of Operation Warp Speed during the COVID-19 pandemic in the first Trump administration and became a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2022.  The longtime FDA official concluded his letter by writing, “My hope is that during the coming years, the unprecedented assault on scientific truth that has adversely impacted public health in our nation comes to an end so that the citizens of our country can fully benefit from the breadth of advances in medical science.”  “Though I will regret not being able to be part of future work at the FDA, I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a remarkable group of individuals as the staff at FDA and will do my best to continue to advance public health in the future,” he wrote.    Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  New FDA commissioner signed off on vaccine chief’s ouster: Reports Newly sworn-in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary signed off on the plan to push out the agency’s top vaccine official, Peter Marks, in one of his first acts as chief, according to multiple reports. Marks, who led the FDA’s vaccine division for more than eight years, resigned on Friday as director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Earlier that day, according to multiple outlets, …  Full Story   RFK Jr. ‘already vindicating his critics’: Wall Street JournalWith Robert F. Kennedy Jr. having served as Health and Human Services secretary for about a month and a half, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board said he is already “vindicating” his critics through his far-reaching actions. In an editorial published Sunday, the Journal wrote that his recently announced plan of reducing the “bloated” Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by 20,000 …  Full Story   House Dems look to expand access to gender-affirming care amid Trump crackdownMore than two dozen House Democrats are looking to protect and expand availability to gender-affirming care for transgender youths and adults as the Trump administration takes steps to sharply curb access.  The Transgender Health Care Access Act, introduced Monday by Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), would establish grants supporting medical education programs and professional training in transition-related care and …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read: Senate Democrats demand release of Harvard Medical School researcher A group of Senate Democrats on Monday sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding the release of a Harvard Medical School researcher who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid the Trump administration’s crackdown. Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care:Montana’s small pharmacies behind bill to corral pharmacy benefit managers (KFF Health News)  Missouri health department rejects Planned Parenthood plan to start medication abortion (Missouri Independent)  Kentucky could lose $150 million in health grants after Trump cuts COVID-19 funding (Louisville Public Media)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: New blood test checks for Alzheimer’s and assess progression, study says (The Guardian)  Drug reduces mysterious particle involved in heart attack risk (The New York Times)  The US approved an Alzheimer's drug. Seven patients subsequently died (Bloomberg)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now:Luna accuses House Freedom Caucus of smear; exits group over parental proxy voting battle Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced Monday that she is leaving the House Freedom Caucus amid her battle with GOP leadership and hard-line Republicans … Read more Joe Rogan: ‘Horrific’ that innocent people could be swept up in El Salvador deportations Podcaster Joe Rogan said it’s “horrific” that innocent people could be getting swept up in the Trump administration’s effort to deport gang members … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Cutting Medicaid would force even more hospitals to closeTrump’s response to bird flu could be the defining test of his second term     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Subscribe ...read more read less