U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Scott Gottlieb is a front runner to be nominated for Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS), according to a StatNews.com report.
The position was made available when Tom Price abruptly resigned in September.
“I think he’s been a real bright spot in the administration,” Andy Slavitt, former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service under President Obama, was quoted as saying. Slavitt has been a harsh critic of the Trump administration.
An FDA spokesperson declined to comment on whether Gottlieb is under consideration for the job and his relationship with the president.
Gottlieb “has the potential to help people appreciate the FDA,” said Joshua Sharfstein, who was second in command at the FDA under President Obama. “It’s happening at the [same] time–the irony, of course—at a time when people are questioning why we have regulatory agencies at all.”
CMS Administrator Seema Verma, another of Price’s deputies, is also considered a top replacement for the HHS job.