After nearly 6 years overseeing public health initiatives, Margaret Hamburg, MD, commissioner of the FDA will be stepping down, according to various sources.
After nearly 6 years overseeing public health initiatives, Margaret Hamburg, MD, commissioner of the FDA will be stepping down, according to various sources.
Reuters is reporting that Dr Hamburg’s resignation will be announced on Friday, although as of right now a new commissioner has not been named. Until then, Stephen Ostroff, MD, the FDA’s chief scientist, will fill the position.
The Wall Street Journal conjectured that Robert Califf, MD, from Duke University, who was recently appointed as FDA deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco, will likely become the next FDA commissioner.
On January 27, when Dr Califf’s appointment was announced, experts began speculating that he was part of an FDA succession plan because he would quickly be confirmed.
“Dr Califf’s deep knowledge and experience in the areas of medicine and clinical research will enable the agency to capitalize on, and improve upon, the significant advances we’ve made in medical product development and regulation over the last few years,” Dr Hamburg had said in a statement upon Dr Califf’s appointment.
Dr Hamburg is one of the longest-serving FDA commissioners. During her time as commissioner, she relaxed age restrictions on the Plan B contraceptive and faced the challenge of hundreds of deaths caused by compounded drugs mixed at a local pharmacy.
Under her leadership, the FDA also introduced measures to speed the development and review of new drugs and the agency gained regulatory authority over tobacco products.
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Penn Medicine's Dr Justin Bekelman
December 19th 2023Justin Bekelman, MD, director of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation, sat with our hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for our final episode of 2023 to discuss the importance of collaboration between academic medicine and community oncology and testing innovative cancer care delivery in these settings.
Listen
Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
Read More
Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Receives FDA Approval for HER2-Positive Solid Tumors
April 5th 2024FDA granted accelerated approval to trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive solid tumors who received prior systemic treatment and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.
Read More