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WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 polarizing vaccine chief is leaving the agency after a brief tenure that drew the ire of biotech companies, patient groups and conservative allies of President Donald Trump.

Dr. Vinay Prasad 鈥渄id not want to be a distraction鈥� and was stepping down from his role as the FDA鈥檚 top vaccine regulator 鈥渢o spend more time with his family,鈥� a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement late Tuesday.

Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Prasad was ousted following several recent controversies. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel matters.

Prasad joined the FDA in May after years as an academic researcher at the University of California San Francisco, where he frequently criticized the FDA鈥檚 approach to drug approvals and COVID-19 vaccines.

His contrarian approach appeared to match FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who repeatedly praised Prasad鈥檚 work and intellect.

But in recent weeks Prasad became a target of conservative activists, including Laura Loomer, who flagged Prasad鈥檚 past statements criticizing Trump and praising liberal independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

鈥淗ow did this Trump-hating Bernie Bro get into the Trump admin???鈥� Loomer posted on X last week.

Prasad also attracted scrutiny for his handling of a recent safety issue surrounding the only approved gene therapy for Duchenne鈥檚 muscular dystrophy.

Under his direction, shipments of the therapy were briefly halted after a series of patient deaths, then resumed late Monday following vocal pushback from families of boys with the fatal muscle-wasting disorder.

Prasad has long been skeptical of the therapy and other muscular dystrophy drugs sold by the drugmaker, Sarepta Therapeutics. As an academic, Prasad gained prominence by attacking the FDA for being too lenient in its standards for approving cancer drugs and other new therapies.

That approach is at odds with Trump鈥檚 Republican supporters, who generally favor speedier approvals and unfettered access to experimental treatments. During Trump鈥檚 first term he signed the 鈥� Right to Try 鈥� law, a largely symbolic piece of legislation that won popular support from conservatives seeking to give dying patients expanded access to unproven drugs.

Prasad鈥檚 decision to pause Sarepta鈥檚 therapy was criticized last week by a columnist and the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal.

Separately, Prasad鈥檚 division issued rejection letters this month to three small biotech firms seeking approval for new gene therapies.

Prasad鈥檚 predecessor in the role, Dr. Peter Marks, oversaw a steep rise in approvals for new gene therapies, which aim to treat or prevent disease by replacing or modifying a portion of patients鈥� genetic code.

Prasad has been an outspoken critic of Marks鈥� leadership at FDA. which included overseeing the approval of the first COVID vaccines and therapies.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.