659. Can Marty Makary Fix the F.D.A.?

It regulates 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and its commissioner has an aggressive agenda — faster drug approvals, healthier food, cures for diabetes and cancer. How much can he deliver? (Part two of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better (freakonomics.com/the-freakonomics-radio-guide-…).”)

• SOURCES:• Marty Makary (fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/martin-makary), commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

• RESOURCES:• "Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health (jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/…)," by Vishal Patel, Michael Liu, and Anupam Jena (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2025).
• "What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism (statnews.com/2025/09/22/trump-autism-tylenol-l…)," by Matthew Herper (STAT, 2025).
• "I Run the F.D.A. Pharma Ads Are Hurting Americans (nytimes.com/2025/09/13/opinion/i-run-the-fda-p…)." by Marty Makary (New York Times, 2025).
• Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health (amzn.to/4sEwAJ9), by Marty Makary (2024).

• EXTRAS:• "Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (freakonomics.com/podcast/are-you-really-allerg…)" by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
• "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare (freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-fix-the-hot-me…)," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
• "Bad Medicine, Part 3: Death by Diagnosis (freakonomics.com/podcast/bad-medicine-part-3-d…)," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

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