The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) chief counsel, Hilary Perkins, has resigned, the federal agency said in a post on social media platform X on Thursday, just two days after her appointment was announced.
The US department of health and human services (HHS), which oversees the FDA and other agencies, removed the news of her appointment from Tuesday's official announcement on its website, according to archived web pages seen by Reuters.
The HHS and FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Perkins could not be immediately reached for comment.
The resignation comes after Republican senator Josh Hawley of Missouri openly criticised Martin Makary, President Donald Trump's nominee for FDA commissioner, for Perkins' appointment.
Makary has not yet been confirmed for the head of FDA and it was not clear what if any role he played in Perkins' appointment. Reuters was unable to reach Makary for comment.
Hawley criticised Perkins for being pro-abortion and having supported vaccine mandates. She joined the department of justice in 2019 during Trump's first term where she worked in consumer protection and stayed on during the Trump administration.
**Reuters**