Von Eschenbach Slated For Nomination As Permanent FDA Head
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA Acting Commissioner and National Cancer Institute Director Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, will likely be nominated by President George W. Bush as permanent agency head, former FDA Associate Commissioner for External Relations Peter Pitts said March 9
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FDA Acting Commissioner and National Cancer Institute Director Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, will likely be nominated by President George W. Bush as permanent agency head, former FDA Associate Commissioner for External Relations Peter Pitts said March 9. According to federal law, von Eschenbach can remain as acting commissioner for 210 days, or until April 21. A nomination for FDA commissioner would be a signal that the President is moving forward with his domestic agenda. The confirmation process would also provide a positive focus for the Senate leading up to midterm elections. Several members of Congress have expressed concern about the lack of permanent leadership at FDA. The agency "needs and deserves a full-time, permanent Commissioner," Senate Finance Committee Chair Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) asserted in a Feb. 3 letter to President Bush's Chief of Staff Andrew Card. "As has been overwhelmingly evident in the past few years, there are too many concerns and questionable practices that would require anything less," he stated. Von Eschenbach took the place of former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford, who resigned in September barely two months after being confirmed to the post (1 (Also see "Commissioner Von Eschenbach: NCI Director Named Acting Head Of FDA" - Pink Sheet, 26 Sep, 2005.), p. 5). Crawford had a contentious and lengthy confirmation process, dominated by questions about Barr's Rx-to-OTC switch application for Plan B . If nominated, von Eschenbach can expect to field similar questions. Von Eschenbach would not commit to a Plan B decision timeline during a recent congressional hearing (2 (Also see "Plan B ANPR Comments Undergoing Independent Contractor Review" - Pink Sheet, 20 Feb, 2006.), p. 4). Pitts said he supports von Eschenbach's nomination as FDA head, and described him as someone who is "confirmable and has passion for the job." Pitts left the agency in 2004 for the public relations firm Manning Selvage & Lee (3 (Also see "FDA External Relations Head Pitts To Leave Agency; CFSAN’s Bond Moves Up" - Pink Sheet, 7 Jun, 2004.), p. 8). However, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt suggested last fall that von Eschenbach would likely return to NCI after serving as acting FDA head. After moving to FDA, von Eschenbach had initially resisted giving up day-to-day operations of the cancer institute. [Editor's note: This story was contributed by " 4 The Pink Sheet ," your weekly source for prescription drug news. For more information call 1-800-332-2181.] |