FDA commissioner Marty Makary resigns and Kyle Diamantas becomes acting commissioner
The leadership change at the FDA comes as the agency oversees GLP-1 drug reviews, though no effect on semaglutide, tirzepatide or orforglipron has been reported.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned on May 12, 2026, and Kyle Diamantas, the agency's top food official, will step in as acting commissioner, according to STAT [1].
President Donald Trump confirmed the resignation while taking questions from reporters ahead of a trip to China [1]. "He's going to go on and he's going to lead a good life," Trump said of Makary. "He was having some difficulty. He's a great doctor. He's going to go on and do well. Everybody wants that job." [1]
Diamantas previously served as the FDA's top food regulator [1]. STAT reported that Makary's tenure "was marked by personnel departures and drama, and controversies over political pressure," and described his exit as coming amid turmoil at the agency [1]. The same report said Makary is the latest top Trump administration health official to depart, creating another opening in the department led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [1].
What is not yet known: the article does not say why Makary resigned, whether he left voluntarily, or when a permanent commissioner might be named [1]. In his public remarks, Trump did not name a successor [1]. No statement from Makary himself was included [1]. It has also not been disclosed how long Diamantas will serve in the acting role or what his priorities will be for drugs and medical products, a subject the article does not address [1].
Why it matters for patients
The FDA is the federal agency that decides which prescription medicines can be sold in the United States and what their labels say, and the commissioner leads it [1]. For adults taking or considering GLP-1 medicines — Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus (semaglutide), Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide), or Foundayo (orforglipron) — no change to approval status, labeling, supply or availability has been reported in connection with this leadership change [1].
The STAT article does not mention GLP-1 drugs, compounding, or any pending FDA decision on weight-loss or diabetes treatments [1]. So any effect on these medicines is not yet known.
A change at the top can matter most over time. An acting commissioner runs the agency while a permanent nominee, if there is one, goes through the confirmation process, and the person in the job shapes hiring, review priorities and how the agency explains its decisions [1]. STAT's report focuses on personnel turnover and political pressure rather than on any specific product decision [1].
For patients, the practical picture right now is unchanged: prescriptions already written are not affected by who leads the agency, and no recall, label change or withdrawal tied to this news has been reported [1].
What happens next
Diamantas is now acting commissioner [1]. Trump confirmed the resignation on May 12, 2026, before departing for China, and said "everybody wants that job," but named no replacement [1]. No date has been announced for choosing a permanent commissioner, and the article does not describe any scheduled FDA action on GLP-1 medications [1]. That timeline has not been reported.
Sources
Semaglutides.org provides information only, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed provider about your own care before making changes. Some telehealth links are affiliate links and are labeled where they appear.