Earlier this year the commissioner of the FDA (the most senior position) Margaret Hamburg stepped down. Hamburg had been in post for six years. After making her announcement in February 2015, several months have been spent considering the best person to head up the drug and food safety organization.
President Obama’s preferred choice is Dr. Robert Califf , who is currently employed as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner. Previously Califf worked at Duke University, running a laboratory dependent upon funding from the pharmaceutical industry.
In November 2015, Dr. Califf, aged 64, participated in a confirmatory hearing in the U.S. Senate. Here, according to Pharma File, he was forced to defend his history of ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
The outcome was that the majority of senators indicated they would be supporting Dr. Califf’s appointment, although this was far from unilateral with several senators expressing dissent. Those opposing the appointment included Bernie Sanders. Speaking with Pharma File, Sanders said: “I believe we need a commissioner who is going to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and protect American consumers.”
The three main criticisms against Califf, raised at the Senate meeting, were:
His commitment to lowering drug prices to ensure greater patient access;
His commitment to decreasing drug approval times;
Past payments made by the pharmaceutical sector to him when he was working as a medical doctor. Califf was last paid a consultancy fee by a pharmaceutical company in 2014, amounting to $29,000.
In his defense, Califf has said he has disposed of all stock in pharmaceutical companies and that he regularly donated his consulting fees to non-profit organisations.
A confirmation vote in the Senate is required before Califf takes up his post.
