Scott Got­tlieb is sworn in as FDA com­mis­sion­er

Scott Got­tlieb can start work now re­shap­ing the FDA to meet law­mak­ers’ ex­pec­ta­tions for an agency that can speed up new drug ap­provals even more, with­out sac­ri­fic­ing the gold stan­dard on safe­ty and ef­fi­ca­cy da­ta that pro­tect pa­tients’ health.

Health and Hu­man Ser­vices Sec­re­tary Tom Price swore Got­tlieb in on Thurs­day morn­ing, mak­ing him the na­tion’s 23rd Com­mis­sion­er of Food and Drugs.

A physi­cian, can­cer sur­vivor, FDA vet­er­an and bio­phar­ma in­vestor and con­sul­tant, Got­tlieb was ham­mered by De­moc­rats for his close busi­ness ties in the in­dus­try, which Re­pub­li­cans cel­e­brat­ed as a sign of ex­pe­ri­ence and ex­per­tise. A clear fa­vorite in bio­phar­ma cir­cles among all the names in cir­cu­la­tion for the job, Got­tlieb will have broad pow­er to set speed and safe­ty lim­its for the agency and drug de­vel­op­ers.

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