PBD Podcast Episode 690 Summary

Guest: FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary
Host: Patrick Bet-David
Date: November 25, 2025

Overview

In this compelling episode, Patrick Bet-David sits down with Dr. Marty Makary, the current Commissioner of the FDA, for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the public health and regulatory challenges facing the United States. Key topics include the FDA’s reforms, COVID-19 response, controversies around Dr. Anthony Fauci, vaccine injuries, the food pyramid overhaul, medical innovation, the influence of lobbyists, the rise in autism, hormone replacement therapy, and broader cultural issues in medicine. Dr. Makary’s straightforward, policy-driven language and refusal to hide behind political talking points set the tone for a discussion bent on transparency and reform.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Makary’s Appointment & FDA Reforms

• Personal Mission: Makary is intent on bringing transparency, cutting red tape, and focusing the FDA towards accountability and patient-centered innovation (04:51).
• Early Achievements (Past 8 Months):
  • Eliminated unnecessary animal testing
  • Rapid removal of all nine artificial food dyes
  • Publicizing product rejection letters for transparency
  • Implemented AI for agency efficiency
  • Accelerated focus on cures for serious diseases (04:51, 07:12)
• Trump Administration Support: President Trump’s directive: “go big, go bold, and don’t worry about corporations and lobbyists" (08:59, 108:59).

2. Food Reform: Pyramid, Ultra-Processed Foods, and Lobbying

• Rewriting the Food Pyramid/Guidance:
  • New framework expected soon: concise, honest (“might be five pages”), focused on protein, fiber, and whole grains, not demonizing natural saturated fat (09:03-10:05).
  • Critique of past dogmas (e.g. war on saturated fat; food industry influence).
  • Overhaul aims to rebuild trust lost during COVID-19 and years of mixed dietary messaging (10:51).
• Lobbyist Influence:
  • Food, grain, and agriculture industries have lobbied to shape nutrition science; $177M+ spent on lobbying (108:38).
  • Dr. Makary: “Nutrition science has been one of the most corrupted of all the scientific disciplines.” (104:04)

Notable Quote

“We don’t need to wage a war on natural saturated fat. Where did that come from? ... We’re going to be honest with people and I think you’re going to see a meaningful change.”
– Dr. Makary (09:03)

3. COVID-19, Fauci, and Accountability

• Fauci’s Conduct:
  • Dr. Makary accuses Fauci of misleading the public on key COVID-19 issues, covering up lab origins, and enabling divisive, politicized public health messaging (13:18–17:57).
  • Criticizes lack of a true, transparent investigation comparable to major historical scandals (Watergate, 9/11) (23:34).
  • On Fauci accountability: Dr. Makary supports a formal investigation into Fauci and NIH’s involvement in gain-of-function research, citing public demand for “closure” (21:30).
• COVID-19 Policies & Public Trust:
  • Makary slams the “pandemic of lunacy,” mask mandates, school closures, coercive vaccine mandates, and media censorship (29:29–30:29).
  • Acknowledges real and largely unacknowledged vaccine injuries, myocarditis data suppression, and censorship of medical dissent (28:44–30:29).

Notable Quotes

“There was clearly a massive cover up…20 million people may have died globally, $25 trillion. …People have a right to be angry. I’m angry.”
– Dr. Makary (13:01, 17:57)

“It was basically a pandemic of lunacy, pandemic of misinformation. And the real information was nuanced and got censored.”
— Dr. Makary (29:29)

4. Vaccines, Injuries & Long COVID

• Vaccine Risks:
  • Admits to knowing “three people, not personally but through one degree” who died from the COVID-19 vaccine (29:14).
  • Cites suppression of myocarditis/vaccine injury data by CDC and FDA; whistleblowers fired (28:44–29:29).
  • No clear way to “detox” from the vaccine once administered (28:19).

Notable Quotes

“We found that they were sitting on myocarditis data at the FDA…they fired the two top vaccine experts because they disagreed.”
– Dr. Makary (28:44)

5. Medical Innovation, Cancer & Patent Laws

• FDA’s New Approach:
  • Proactively identifying and expediting drugs/treatments that are “game changers,” specifically citing advancements for rectal cancers, certain types of blindness, deafness, and diabetes (40:12–47:56).
  • Push for “priority review” processes and rapid approval.
• On Patents & Drug Pricing:
  • Critiques extendable patent monopolies as blocking generics, driven by legal obstacles and excessive lobbying (50:23–53:04).
  • Patent reform requires Congressional—not FDA—actions (51:28).

Notable Quote

“My predecessor in the Biden administration said his number one priority as head of the FDA was fighting misinformation. Well, our number one priority is not censoring Americans. It’s delivering more cures and powerful treatments.”
– Dr. Makary (47:56)

6. Hormone Replacement Therapy: Testosterone & Estrogen

• Testosterone for Men:
  • Shift away from stigma; low-dose testosterone may improve longevity via maintaining muscle mass—“number one predictor of longevity” (55:54).
• Estrogen for Postmenopausal Women:
  • Makary denounces the “biggest screw-up of modern medicine” — the demonization of HRT due to flawed studies and medical ‘dogma’.
  • Emphasizes benefits: 25–50% reduction in fatal heart attacks, major osteoporosis and cognitive gains (60:10–62:10).

Notable Quote

“There may be no medication in the modern era…that can improve the health of women on a population level more than hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women.”
– Dr. Makary (61:02)

7. Early Puberty, Environmental Toxins & Processed Foods

• Declining Age of Puberty:
  • Puberty now beginning as early as 8 or 9 in girls—a week and a half earlier per year, driven by chemical exposures with estrogenic properties in food and water (64:45–65:25).
  • Calls it an “existential threat” to the human race (65:25).

Notable Quote

“The age of puberty has been going down by a week and a half each year for roughly the last 30 years.”
– Dr. Makary (65:25)

8. Birth Control, Eugenics, and Planned Parenthood History

• Birth Control Movement:
  • Historical link to eugenics and targeted reduction of minority populations (70:43–72:36).
• Planned Parenthood:
  • Critique for distribution of puberty blockers; Dr. Makary calls current practices with minors “not right” (73:17).

9. Sexual Health, Disease Transmission, and Public Messaging

• Monkeypox/Mpox & CDC:
  • CDC’s refusal to state clear, data-driven transmission routes out of fear of stigma; Dr. Makary: “If you disagree, you could just disappear…this is like Chinese Communist Party kind of stuff” (34:37, 36:54).
  • Critiques the evolution of public communication on sex, AIDS, and risk behaviors (84:34–87:34).

Notable Quote

“They couldn’t say it was a sexually transmitted infection for weeks. They wouldn’t say that. …They have to rename it to mpox… It’s out of control. Just talk to me… Don’t be politicians.”
– Dr. Makary (84:34–86:22)

10. Tylenol, Autism & Scientific Uncertainty

• Tylenol Warning:
  • FDA now warns against using acetaminophen (Tylenol) in pregnancy unless necessary, citing review: “There is a causal relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and the neurodevelopmental disorders…” (90:15).
  • Criticizes Harvard’s “running for the hills” after initial support and subsequent media firestorm (93:16–96:56).
• Autism:
  • No consensus on causes; commits to prioritizing research and transparency on vaccine load, Tylenol, and environmental factors (90:15-94:02).

Notable Quote

“Why not play it safe and tell people to minimize the use of Tylenol during pregnancy?”
– Dr. Makary (90:15)

11. Sugar Addiction, Child Health, Obesity, and Food Policy

• US Obesity & Foods:
  • US leads the world in processed food consumption, with skyrocketing child chronic disease rates (10:51, 103:11).
  • Sugar addiction is real and chemically reinforced in processed foods; Dr. Makary pushes for “front of package” sugar labeling and a unified definition for ultra-processed foods (111:59–113:25).
  • Denounces new calls to prescribe Ozempic to 6-year-olds as a “big push” by certain professional groups (107:05–107:12).

Notable Quote

“Obesity is an addiction to sugar. That’s what it…is a glycemic addiction, if we’re being honest.”
– Dr. Makary (111:59)

12. New Opioids and Youth Drug Risks

• Emerging Threat: 7-OH (Seven Hydroxy Mitragynine):
  • Sold in vape shops, 13x stronger binding than morphine, responsible for youth deaths (113:41–115:09).
  • Urges parents and schools to educate children immediately on its dangers.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On FDA Culture:
  “We are unfiltered. We are raw, we are honest, and what you see is what you get.” (07:12)
• On Medical Establishment:
  “There’s this groupthink in medicine…It’s an old story in medicine.” (13:18)
• On Child Health:
  “They have less natural light exposure than prisoners. What is going on?” (10:51)
• On Drug Prices:
  “We’re not talking about 1 or 2% stuff. We’re talking about massive reductions.” (42:39)
• On Societal Polarization:
  “We are taking a data-driven approach here. But there’s a segment of the population that just...whatever we say will say the opposite.” (99:52–101:19)

Key Timestamps

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment / Topic | |--------------|----------------| | 04:51 | Makary’s early FDA reforms, food dye bans, AI, Trump admin | | 07:12 | Unfiltered approach, friends’ hopes for FDA agenda | | 09:03 | Food pyramid rewrite, clues on new structure | | 13:01 | Fauci investigation & COVID-19 cover up claims | | 17:57 | Closure & public trust post-pandemic | | 21:30 | Will Makary support Fauci investigation? | | 28:44 | Myocarditis, vaccine injury data suppression, FDA/CDC failures | | 29:14 | Personal connections to vaccine deaths | | 36:54 | Censorship in medicine, vaccine discussion suppression | | 47:56 | New approach: FDA’s top priority is cures, not ‘misinformation’ policing | | 50:23 | Drug patent abuses, legal obstacles, need for reform | | 55:54 | Testosterone replacement, muscle mass & longevity | | 61:02 | Hormone therapy for women: “Most life-altering treatment” | | 64:45 | Declining age of puberty, environmental exposures | | 70:43 | Birth control, eugenics history & Planned Parenthood critique | | 86:22 | WHO & CDC messaging on monkeypox/mpox, honest risk communication | | 90:15 | Tylenol/autism risk, Harvard backtracking, media schism | | 99:52 | Toxic polarization, “third of country cheering for you to fail” | | 103:11 | US diet, processed foods, Ancel Keys history, obesity crisis | | 107:05 | GLP-1 drug (Ozempic) push for young children | | 111:59 | Sugar addiction as public health crisis; labeling initiatives | | 113:41 | Warning about 7-OH (potent opioid) in vape shops |

Conclusion

Dr. Makary’s appearance is a call for candor and relentless reform, both in policy and culture. His tenure at the FDA is marked by rapid action, transparency, and a strong reaction to the missteps and mistrust festered during COVID-19. He acknowledges public anger toward the old guard, calls out industry and medical dogmas, and insists on honest, direct communication to rebuild trust in health institutions. If the agency can deliver on food reform, accelerate true medical innovation, and help instill a more transparent, patient-centered system, this conversation will mark an early signal of major systemic transformation.

References & Further Reading:

• FDA official website
• “Thank you, Dr. Fauci” documentary
• CNN Interview: Dr. Makary & Sanjay Gupta (YouTube, see 26:30 onward)
• Key publications cited on hormone therapy and nutrition science

For the full episode, listen at [PBD Podcast Ep. 690]