Vinay Prasad, who headed the U.S. FDA division in charge of vaccines and was also chief medical and scientific officer, has abruptly left the agency. He joined the FDA in May as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Dr. Vinay Prasad had been serving as the FDA's director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research since May, and was later named chief medical and scientific officer.

A spokesperson for the Health Department has said that Vinay Prasad did not want to be a "distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration."