STAT+: At drugmakers’ forum, Oz gets a friendly embrace, while Makary faces tough questions

STAT News · Feb 17, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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WASHINGTON — Two of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top lieutenants struck decidedly different tones at a forum held Tuesday by the pharmaceutical industry group PhRMA. The administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, had a friendly on-stage conversation with Pfizer CEO and PhRMA board chair Albert Bourla in which he spoke of the benefits of vaccines, welcomed the idea of closed-door meetings with executives to hammer out policy ideas, and even suggested industry leaders should consider government jobs, despite Kennedy’s own criticism of the “revolving door” between government and industry. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, on the other hand, was grilled by former CNBC reporter Bertha Coombs about the agency’s more skeptical approach to the regulation of vaccines, including the recent decision by top official Vinay Prasad to refuse to review Moderna’s application for a new flu shot. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus daily intelligence on Capitol Hill and the life sciences industry — by subscribing to STAT+. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe