Senate Confirms Von Eschenbach as FDA Chief

WASHINGTON--Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., was confirmed by the Senate Dec. 7 as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); he has served as the Acting Commissioner since the September 2005 resignation of the last commissioner, Lester Crawford, DVM. Von Eschenbach was previously the director of the National Cancer Institute.

Among those reacting with reserved optimism was the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). "AHPA looks forward to working with Dr. von Eschenbach and his staff at FDA," stated Michael McGuffin, AHPA's president. "Numerous dietary supplement issues are in need of FDA's attention and we expect to develop a fruitful relationship with FDA under its new leadership."

In other FDA personnel news, Scott Gottlieb, M.D., resigned as deputy commissioner and will leave the agency next month to return to the American Enterprise Institute. He gave no specific reason for his departure.

"Throughout Scott's tenure at both FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, he has served the public health with tireless dedication," von Eschenbach said, in a statement. "Scott joined the agency at a critical time and helped to create a forward-thinking policy agenda that bolstered our efforts to transparently provide more timely information to patients and providers so they can have the tools they need to make informed medical decisions."