Second FDA executive departing organization in less than a week as top drug regulator claims she was fired

Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, former acting director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), became the second high-ranking official to depart the FDA this week after claiming she was fired Friday.

Høeg's departure came after that of former FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, who publicly resigned Tuesday after rumors that President Donald Trump was unhappy with him swirled for days.

Høeg, who worked closely with Makary on regulating drugs before being elevated to CDER head in December, claimed she was forced out.

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FDA Commissioner Marty Makary speaks during a press conference with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 2025, discussing drug costs. (Annabelle Gordon/REUTERS)

"I said I didn’t want to resign," Høeg told MD Reports in an interview published Friday. "I said I’m not signing a letter of resignation if it’s not my choice."

Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, former Acting Head of the FDA Center for for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), during a meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Megan Varner/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"They made it clear that it wasn’t their decision," she told the outlet. "They said it was from someone above them, from someone way above their pay grade."

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Høeg will be replaced by her former deputy, Dr. Mike Davis, according to an FDA email to staff obtained by The Associated Press.

While the White House has yet to officially comment on her departure, Høeg's exodus may be part of a larger shakeup following Makary's resignation.

In addition to Høeg, former director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Katherine Szarama is also leaving, along with FDA Chief of Staff Jim Traficant, according to reporting from STAT News.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned this week. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the FDA, HHS and Høeg for comment.