By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Michael Erman
May 8 (Reuters) – The White House is considering naming FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, who heads up the agency’s food group, as acting commissioner of the agency to replace current head Marty Makary, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Potential names being considered to be the actual nominee to run the agency include former FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn and former acting commissioner and assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir, according to one of the sources and two other sources.
The White House was not immediately available for comment.
The White House has already signed off on a plan to fire U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, Reuters reported earlier on Friday. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.
Other names being considered for acting FDA commissioner include Grace Graham – the agency’s deputy commissioner in charge of policy, legislation, and international affairs – and Sara Brenner, recently named a senior counselor to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the sources said.
Diamantas, Graham, Brenner, Hahn and Giroir were not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Michael Erman in New York and Yasmeen Abutaleb and Jarrett Renshaw in Washington; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Deepa Babington)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.