Washington DC - Department of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently tapped controversial physician Vinay Prasad to become the new top vaccine regulator for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to Axios, FDA commissioner Marty Makary sent a letter to staff, praising Prasad for having penned more than 500 academic articles, done extensive research in oncology, and presented at hundreds of scientific and medical conferences.

"He brings a great set of skills, energy, and competence to the FDA, and I know that he is eager to begin immersing himself in the important work of CBER and the agency as a whole," Makary wrote.

Prasad has expressed skepticism about Covid-19 vaccine mandates for children, but has described the vaccine as "a miraculous, life-saving advance."

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He has also challenged the medical industry on a number of other issues.

Kennedy, meanwhile, has built a reputation for being a staunch anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist.

Prasad will be replacing Peter Marks, the former director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, who resigned in March after accusing Kennedy of waging an "unprecedented assault on scientific truth."

Back in February, after President Donald Trump officially appointed RFK Jr. as health secretary, Prasad shared a blog post in which he provided suggestions for Kennedy, which included working with Republican lawmakers to "pass a bill that says vaccine makers can be sued for vaccine injury."