HHS' CHOICE FOR FDA COMMISSIONER REMAINS RAYMOND GOSSELIN

HHS' CHOICE FOR FDA COMMISSIONER REMAINS RAYMOND GOSSELIN, whose name was forwarded to the White House several weeks ago by the department ("The Pink Sheet" June 24; p. 3). Gosselin, 62, is president of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Allied Sciences. However, the White House reportedly is also considering another candidate: Deputy Asst. to the President for Drug Abuse Policy Carlton Turner, PhD. Turner, 44, has been with the Reagan Administration almost from its start; he joined the White House staff in July 1981 as senior policy advisor for drug policy. He became special assistant to the President and has been a key advisor to Mrs. Reagan for her domestic and internatl. drug abuse education projects. He was promoted to deputy assistant to the President last March. Turner earned BS, MS and PhD degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi. * The administration cannot appoint a commissioner until current Com. Young is promoted to HHS asst. secty. for health, a move awaiting the Justice Dept.'s clearance process. Reportedly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is waiting to receive the HHS Inspector General's audit of FDA's hiring of Deputy Com. Norris before Young's clearance can be made final. Preliminary word from the Inspector General's office is said to indicate that although FDA's contracting of Norris may not have been handled in a meticulous manner, there probably was no criminal activity. Norris may move to a position in the office of the asst. secty. after the new commissioner has settled into the FDA post. The Reagan Administration has been slow to fill openings in HHS top management positions. When Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Administrator Carolyne Davis announced her resignation, she cited the vacancies at her agency as one of the reasons she is leaving ("The Pink Sheet" July 29, In Brief). Vacancies at HCFA include deputy administrator and associate administrator for policy. Senate Labor & Human Resources Cmte. majority counsel and health director Steven Grossman has been named to fill the associate administrator post in early August. White House Special Asst. to the President for Health Policy William Roper has reportedly indicated a willingness to become HCFA deputy administrator immediately on the condition he be seriously considered as a replacement for Davis in the top slot. A Candidates for HCFA administrator, besides Roper, include Senate Majority Leader Dole's (R-Kan.) Deputy Chief of Staff Sheila Burke, Johnson & Johnson VPInternatl. William Ryan, and Hospital Corporation of America VP-Reimbursement Helen King Cummings. During the search for a permanent successor to Davis, HHS is said to be considering three department officials to fill the post on an acting basis: Deputy General Counsel-Regulations Terry Coleman, Deputy Asst. Secty. for Evaluation & Technical Analysis Randy Teach, and Social Security Administration Refugee Resettlement Office Director Philip Hawkes. The department is also reportedly considering the promotion of Asst. Secty. for Management & Budget John O'Shaughnessy to undersecty.