Trump’s FDA nominee says MMR shot is ‘safe and effective’ at Senate hearing

Dr. Heidi Overton, President Trump's nominee to lead the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has told senators that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is "safe and effective". This statement comes weeks after she stood behind the president when he suggested the shot could be "quite lethal".

At a confirmation hearing, Overton described the MMR vaccine as the "best tool right now in the public health response to the measles outbreak". When asked by Senator Bill Cassidy if the vaccine is lethal, Overton replied that it is not. She also stated that every vaccine on the US market is safe and effective, according to the FDA.

Overton, a preventive medicine physician and White House domestic policy aide, is seeking confirmation to lead the FDA. If confirmed, she will be the second person to lead the agency after the previous commissioner, Marty Makary, resigned. Overton has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and industry leaders for her relative lack of managerial experience.

Brief written by urgent.news from Guardian Health, ABC News (US), Endpoints News, The Hill, STAT News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.