Hahn May Not Run Into Questions About Industry Ties Like His Predecessors
Executive Summary
Nominee for US FDA commissioner has remained largely focused on academic work and private practice, receiving only a few payments from pharma and device companies.
Stephen Hahn's confirmation hearing may not be filled with the same questions about industry connections that arose when the previous two nominated US Food and Drug Administration commissioners arrived at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Scott Gottlieb and Robert Califf, who both won confirmation, were forced to defend their records after some Senators and stakeholders argued they would open the FDA to undo industry influence. Hahn's resume does not appear filled with a litany of work and payments from drug, device, or other health care industry players.
President Trump nominated Hahn, a radiation oncologist and currently chief medical executive and professor in the radiation oncology department at MD Anderson Cancer Center, to become FDA commissioner on 1 November.
Stephen Hahn
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Hahn has spent much of his career in academia. He has been at MD Anderson Cancer Center for more than four years, serving as Radiation Oncology Division head and president and chief operating officer prior to his current appointment.
Before moving to MD Anderson, Hahn spent 18 years at the University of Pennsylvania, including as radiation oncology department chair. He also has served as chief resident at the University of California San Francisco Hospitals and was chief of the Department of Prostate Cancer Clinic at the National Cancer Institute, as well as a commander in the US Public Health Service.
Not listed among his prior jobs, affiliations or other activities are relationships with the pharmaceutical or device industries, which may be expected given his academic work.
More Coverage Of Stephen Hahn's Nomination
His lack of significant administrative experience in the federal government may pose a problem as his confirmation moves forward. (See box for more coverage of the nomination.)
Gottlieb, a physician and investor prior to taking over FDA, listed 36 companies with which he had a relationship and that would end upon his confirmation. (Also see "Gottlieb's Confirmation: Will Industry Ties Remain A Big Deal After The Hearing?" - Pink Sheet, 3 Apr, 2017.)
Califf also received consulting fees and other payments from many pharmaceutical companies prior to joining the agency as part of his work at Duke University. (Also see "Califf Has Several Industry Ties To Sever Before Joining FDA" - Pink Sheet, 2 Feb, 2015.)
Hahn Receives Radiology-, Device-Focused Payments
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database lists 15 payments to Hahn, the most recent in 2017.
Varian Medical Systems Inc., a radiology company, made nine, which totaled $1,545.73. They covered travel and lodging and food and beverage costs.
Hahn also received small amounts from E.R. Squibb and Sons LLC, which is part of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., in 2014 and Allergan PLC in 2016, as well as a research payment from Astellas Pharma Inc. in 2017.
As may be expected for a radiation oncologist, most of the payments involved imaging and software companies. Along with Varian, Hahn received small payments from Brainlab AG, a maker of surgery and radiosurgery products, and Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., a maker of medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics and other products. (See table below.)
Indeed, even if his relationship with industry does raise concerns for Senators and stakeholders, it likely will not dominate the confirmation hearing. Many FDA-specific topics, as well as issues like drug development, also should come up. (Also see "Drug Development, Not Conflicts, Dominates Gottlieb's Confirmation Hearing" - Pink Sheet, 10 Apr, 2017.)
Sharpless Received A Consulting Fee, Several Small Payments
Acting FDA Commissioner Norman Sharpless received about the same amount in payments as Hahn, save one larger consulting fee.
Sharpless was paid $4,000 by Pfizer Inc. in 2016, one of six payments made by the company. Pfizer also paid travel, lodging, food and beverage expenses that year for an overall total of $5,447.43.
Sharpless also received food and beverage payments from Sanofi in 2013, as well as Pharmacyclics Inc. in 2015. All were made before he became National Cancer Institute director in October 2017, a position he held before moving to the FDA. (Also see "New Acting US FDA Commissioner Shares Agency's Clinical Trial Reform Message" - Pink Sheet, 12 Mar, 2019.)