Senate confirms FDA head

The US Senate voted 57 to 42 yesterday to confirm Dr. Scott Gottlieb as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, where he will be responsible for regulating drug companies to which he has had close ties in recent years, according to a story by Katie Thomasmay.

Gottlieb has promised to divest himself from several health care companies and recuse himself for one year from decisions involving those businesses, but that was not enough for many Democratic senators, including Patty Murray of Washington.

“He has not convinced me he can withstand political pressure from this administration, or that he will be truly committed to putting our families’ health first,” Murray said during the debate before Tuesday’s vote. “I’ve grown increasingly concerned about whether he can lead the FDA in an unbiased way, given his unprecedented industry ties.”

In a statement, Tom Price, the health and human services secretary, said Dr. Gottlieb’s “background will be crucial” for maintaining the FDA’s high standards for safe treatments “while advancing new, innovative solutions” to the nation’s public health challenges.

For Gottlieb, this is a return to the agency where, during the administration of President George W. Bush, he held various jobs, including that of deputy commissioner.

He will take over a sprawling agency that regulates everything from food to drugs, medical devices and tobacco products, which include, according the FDA’s deeming regulations, products such as electronic cigarettes.

Unless the regulations on vapor products are changed, many observers believe that most of these products will disappear from the market along with the hopes of many people trying to quit smoking.

The full story is at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/health/scott-gottlieb-senate-fda-commissioner.html?emc=edit_tnt_20170509&nlid=60534081&tntemail0=y&_r=1.