FDA Candidate’s Track Record Of Emerging From High-Profile Scandals Unscathed Highlights Political Savvy, Backers Say
Dr. Stephen Hahn, one of the frontrunners for the top FDA position, has been in the middle and on the fringes of multiple high-profile controversies throughout his career. But what they've revealed is a knack for operating within highly rigid and institutionalized environments, his supporters say.
Stat:
Frontrunner To Lead FDA, Dogged By Controversies, Has Developed Knack For Confronting Them
Before he interviewed with President Trump last week to become Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn had only been here once in a formal capacity: to apologize to Congress. The veteran cancer researcher came to Capitol Hill in 2009 to take responsibility for years of botched care by a doctor under his supervision. Ninety-two U.S. military veterans had been implanted with radioactive “seeds,” meant to fight prostate cancer, at the wrong dose — or in the wrong organ entirely. (Facher and Florko, 9/10)
Meanwhile, other news from the Trump administration comes from NIH, HHS and the EPA —
The Washington Post:
NIH Opens Inquiry Into Management, Workplace Issues At Troubled Pharmacy
The National Institutes of Health has temporarily removed four senior officials at the pharmacy that serves its world-renowned hospital and launched an inquiry into management and personnel issues in the often-troubled department. Unlike a leadership shake-up at the 200-bed Clinical Center that followed reports of contaminated drugs in 2015, this investigation does not appear to involve patient safety problems in the pharmacy, which prepares drugs for patients treated at the hospital. Rather, it focuses on complaints against managers and a difficult workplace culture. (Bernstein, 9/9)
Modern Healthcare:
Senate Appropriators Demand Scrutiny Of New Liver Distribution System
Senate appropriators want HHS to analyze the controversial new system for liver transplants and report to Congress on what costs patients and transplant programs may face. According to the legislative text up for a HHS Senate appropriations panel vote on Tuesday, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would also have to project any potential effect the policy could have on people who are poor or live in remote areas. (Luthi, 9/9)
NPR:
Federal Watchdog Warns EPA Is Failing To Enforce Lead Paint Abatement Rules
Lead-based paint was extremely popular in the early and mid-20th century — used in an estimated 38 million homes across the U.S. before it was banned for residential use in 1978. The risk didn't stop with the ban. Today, when older homes are renovated or repaired, contractors are required to take special precautions to avoid exposing residents to lead-laden dust and paint chips that are dangerous, especially to children and pregnant women. It's part of a broader set of environmental regulations meant to protect young people from lead exposure. (Hersher, 9/9)
