Vinay Prasad, head of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, faces allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation against subordinates and verbal abuse of employees. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, according to sources familiar with the situation. A former professor at the University of California, San Francisco, Prasad commutes from the San Francisco area to Maryland every two weeks, costing taxpayers about $65,000 a year. The internal complaints about his conduct come amid controversy surrounding his decision to refuse to review Moderna's application for the flu vaccine mRNA-1010. In January, Prasad, in a meeting with FDA staff, decided to send the denial letter, even though a review team had already been assembled. David Kaslow, director of CBER's Office of Vaccine Research and Review, wrote an internal memo opposing the decision. Some staff disagreed with Prasad's criticism of Moderna's study design, which he called inconsistent with the best available standard of care. Before Prasad took office in May 2025, the FDA agreed to Moderna's study proposals and in September 2024 filed no objections to the launch of the third phase of the mRNA-1010 trial.