FDA's top tobacco official is removed from post in latest blow to health agency's leadership

The Food and Drug Administration’s chief tobacco regulator has been forced out. Brian King's departure Tuesday comes just days after the FDA's top vaccine official stepped down over disagreements with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the safety of vaccinations. King says in an email to staff it's “with a heavy heart and profound disappointment” he shares he's been placed on administrative leave. The latest announcements mean nearly all of the FDA’s senior officials have departed the agency in recent months. That leadership vacuum comes as Kennedy moves to slash the agency's staffing levels and order reviews of vaccines, antidepressants and other long-established therapies.