5/9/2017

FDA/TRUMP PEOPLE/SCOTT GOTTLIEB: “The U.S. Senate on Tuesday [5-9-17] voted 57-42, mostly along part lines, to confirm Scott Gottlieb as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Gottlieb, a veteran health-care investor and physician, is well known to many drug-industry executives. He worked for years as a consultant to companies including GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., spoke frequently at health-care and investor conferences, and wrote hundreds of essays and op-eds, often advocating for the FDA to approve drugs more quickly and loosen regulations on off-label marketing.
He is also steeped in the details of regulatory approval of drugs and medical devices, having previously served as deputy FDA commissioner under the George W. Bush administration.
Dr. Gottlieb favors free-market strategies to bring down drug costs, including by increasing the rate of generic-drug approvals at the FDA. He has also questioned the wisdom of allowing U.S. consumers to import brand-name drugs from countries like Canada, where they cost less, in part because of safety concerns—a viewpoint shared by drugmakers.”

-Joseph Walker and Thomas M. Burton, “Senate Confirms Scott Gottlieb to Lead FDA,” The Wall Street Journal online, May 9, 2017 5:50pm