It was the announcement many have been dreading — but expecting — for several months now. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, 23rd Commissioner of the FDA, announced his decision to step down after 663 days (22 months) on the job. The news is sure to raise concerns for many. But I think the biggest surprise is how equally sad thought-leaders within the agency will be to say goodbye.
I am not an expert on immigration or building walls. I don’t pretend that I can totally understand the political strategy of either party at the high level of the government shutdown. But as someone very familiar with the FDA, I am growing increasingly concerned that the longer the government shutdown continues — dragging the FDA along with it — the greater the potential for harm to the public health.
Within just a few days of taking office, President Trump launched his deregulatory agenda, and he has now issued several executive orders that build on each other. This article analyzes the executive orders and the Office of Management and Budget’s implementation guidance to agencies — and offers insights on their implications for the FDA and innovators.
Now that the 21st Century Cures bill has been signed into law — following a nearly three- year journey that included a fair number of detours and roadblocks — all eyes in the drug development world are shifting to FDA. To the question “What now?” FDA can answer: A great deal of work.
Donald Trump’s advance team will soon be headed to FDA’s White Oak campus to observe and learn about the agency, to help facilitate the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration. In this article, I describe what I expect the nascent 2017 agenda will be as Trump’s team walks in the door, and I offer a few thoughts as to why the Trump team would do well to consider the unique nature of FDA as transition planning takes shape.
