Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Op-Ed, Azar And Gottlieb Call On Industry To Make 'Meaningful' Changes To Address Teen Vaping Epidemic
The Hill: Azar, Gottlieb Pen Op-Ed Warning Of Regulatory Crackdown On E-Cigarettes
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and departing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb penned an op-ed in The Washington Post on Wednesday warning of a regulatory crackdown on the e-cigarette industry if teen use doesn't decline. Gottlieb, who announced his resignation as FDA chief earlier this month, had repeatedly raised concerns about teenage use of e-cigarettes, with the FDA threatening to yank the products off the market earlier this year unless youth smoking rates drop in the coming months. (Axelrod, 3/20)
Politico: Pulse Check: FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb
Scott Gottlieb was nominated to run the FDA in March 2017. Two years — and nearly 500 press announcements — later, the productive and high-profile commissioner is preparing to step down in early April 2019. Gottlieb joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss why he's leaving FDA, his regulatory and communications strategy, his work on medical device safety, digital health, opioid abuse, the Trump administration's approach to science and the choice of Ned Sharpless as acting FDA commissioner, what Gottlieb would've pursued if he had more time at FDA and if he'll ever return to government. (3/20)
In other news from the administration —
Stat: Julie Dohm, FDA’s Top Compounding Official, Set To Leave Agency
The Food and Drug Administration’s top compounding staffer, Julie Dohm, is leaving the agency effective March 29. Since 2016, Dohm has steered the FDA through the contentious implementation of the compounding law passed by Congress in the wake of a 2012 meningitis outbreak that killed 64. During Dohm’s tenure, FDA released nearly two dozen far-reaching policies, conducted more than 400 inspections of compounders, and took a number of compounding pharmacies to court for alleged violations of the law. (Florko, 3/20)
