Moderna Pops As Vinay Prasad, The FDA's Controversial Vaccine Head, Will Depart In April

Moderna (MRNA) stock jumped late Friday on reports the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Vinay Prasad, will step down amid mounting industry concerns.

Prasad leads the FDA’s Center for Biologics Research and Evaluation. In this role, he oversees the review of vaccines, cell and gene therapies and other biologic drugs. An agency spokesperson confirmed Prasad will leave the FDA at the end of April, CNBC reported.

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In his role, Prasad was at the forefront of a yo-yo decision that saw the FDA refuse to consider approving Moderna’s experimental flu vaccine. Days later, the FDA flipped course.

According to STAT News, a team of career scientists was ready to review Moderna’s vaccine, but Prasad overruled them and ultimately signed the refusal-to-file letter himself. BioSpace reports FDA Commissioner Marty Makary was summoned to the White House two days after Prasad’s refusal-to-file letter.

The news adds to a storm that’s been brewing at the FDA for the better part of a year.

Moderna Stock And Vinay Prasad

Prasad has a storied history with the FDA. In July 2025, Prasad briefly left the agency following the agency’s handling of Sarepta Therapeutics’ (SRPT) gene therapy, Elevidys, following multiple patient deaths. He returned a scant 10 days later.

More recently, Prasad penned an internal memo that suggested at least 10 children have died in the aftermath of receiving Covid vaccines. That hasn’t been proven, however, and the memo has not been publicly released.

The anti-vaccine rhetoric seems to come from on high. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a well-known vaccine skeptic. The FDA also appointed Tracy Beth Hoeg as the acting director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Hoeg has also voiced skepticism about the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines, as well as booster shots for children.

Despite the setbacks, Moderna stock is making a comeback. Shares have risen 78% this year as enthusiasm grows for the company’s Merck (MRK)-partnered cancer vaccine. In after-hours trades on Friday, Moderna stock climbed another 3% to 54.10.

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Follow Allison Gatlin on X/Twitter at @AGatlin_IBD.

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