What to know about Kyle Diamantas, the new acting FDA commissioner

Key Points:

• Kyle Diamantas, a former corporate lawyer and current FDA deputy commissioner for food, has been appointed as the acting commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration following Marty Makary's resignation.
• Diamantas, who previously defended Abbott Laboratories in a high-profile lawsuit regarding infant formula safety, has no medical background but extensive experience in regulatory and compliance matters related to food and life sciences.
• His tenure at the FDA has involved overseeing food policy, updating dietary guidelines to emphasize meats and vegetables, and removing petroleum-based artificial dyes from food products, aligning with the administration's Maha food agenda.
• Diamantas is seen as a non-controversial interim leader within the FDA, maintaining stability in the Human Foods Program, while the search for a permanent commissioner continues under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• He has acknowledged a one-year recusal from infant formula issues due to his previous legal work but plans to re-engage in formula safety efforts, focusing on chemical and microbiological risks following recent infant health concerns.