What we know about Dr. Marty Makary and implications for Hims
To pigeon-hole Makary (FDA Commissioner-nominee) as being ‘pro compounder’ just because he was chief medical officer at Sesame probably misses the mark
Donald Trump was sworn in as President again on January 20, 2025.
Many believe this could bode well for companies like Hims, whose business is directly impacted by political and legal decisions around healthcare, telemedicine, and regulatory battles of medications like GLP-1s.
Given President Trump and the Republican party's historically business-friendly stance and preference for deregulation, let's examine which key players in Trump's orbit might shape policies affecting Hims.
Note: All text in bold and italics is commentary from me, . I am a board-certified primary care physician who has specialized in telemedicine for the past 6 years. I’ve been involved in all aspects of telemedicine: clinical, administrative/operations, and as a professional corporation physician owner/partner of a telemedicine startup.
Dr. Marty Makary
First is the appointment of Dr. Marty Makary to be FDA Commissioner.
KEY POINTS, SUMMARIZED:
Dr. Makary is generally a well-regarded, well-educated, and trained physician.
He has been building up his own ‘personal brand’ via media appearances, writings, and written books. This may suggest possible greater future aspirations after his FDA tenure in the private sector
He has experience in the telemedicine world and has advised a company (Sesame) that prescribes compounded medicines, which may play favorable to companies like Hims
Despite general comfort with compounded GLP-1s, Makary writes about the uncertainty of how the long-term usage of GLP-1s may affect people, in particular the current generation of GLP-1s like semaglutide and tirzepatide.
FDA ethics guidelines suggest he should not be involved in decisions where he can personally benefit from a financial perspective. Whether this is enforced and how this plays out is TBD.
Some links that may interest you:
Science.org - Mixed reactions greet Trump’s pick of longtime FDA critic to head agency
Reuters - Trump's FDA pick is surgeon and writer Martin Makary
Who Is Marty Makary?
In short, Makary is a well-regarded physician with a diverse and accomplished medical background and medical experience.
Education & Training:
General surgery residency - Georgetown
Surgical oncology fellowship - Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins faculty member - trusted in medical education
He is particularly recognized for his work in pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery.
Research & Publications:
Makary has published numerous research papers in medical journals and is well-known for his work on patient safety, healthcare quality, and medical ethics. He has been an outspoken critic of the American health care system and has proposed targeted solutions for reform.
Preventing surgical complications - (procedural guidelines in OR)
Received grant from HHS to study obesity, 2011: Maugh II, Thomas H. (30 June 2011). "Prompt reduction in use of medications for comorbid conditions after bariatric surgery". Obes Surg. 1
Media Appearances:
He’s comfortable on the media circuit, having done spots and interviews on various diverse media platforms:
Washington Post
New York Times
Fox News
Ted Talks
The ZDoggMD Show
CNBC
C-SPAN
Makary is also the author of the New York Times best-selling book Unaccountable, in which he proposes that common sense, physician-led solutions can fix the healthcare system. The book was turned into the popular TV series, The Resident, which aired on Fox in 2018.
In his 2024 book Blind Spots, Makary urges readers to think critically about today's medical consensuses. In this book, he examines cases where medicine got science wrong, such as the idea that opioids are not addictive or that consumers should avoid foods high in fat.
Political Views:
Makary donated to Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign in 2008. He also gave money to Republican House Member Frank Wolf in the mid-2000s.
He has previously criticized the politicization of the FDA.
Makary considers himself pro-vaccine but has also criticized vaccination mandates for populations other than healthcare workers.
Reasons why Makary may be pro-compounding and/or pro-GLP-1s:
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