Senate Confirms Califf As FDA Commissioner
The 89-4 vote came after a drawn-out battle in which several lawmakers opposed the nominee based, partly, on his ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
The New York Times:
Dr. Robert Califf Wins Senate Confirmation to Run F.D.A.
President Obama’s pick to run the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Robert M. Califf, was finally confirmed for the job by the Senate on Wednesday, in a vote of 89 to 4, after weeks of opposition from a handful of lawmakers who had blocked his nomination over what they said was the agency’s poor record on prescription painkillers. (Tavernise, 2/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Confirms Cardiologist Robert Califf As FDA Commissioner
The new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday his top priorities will include using databases and electronic medical records as early-warning systems to pinpoint safety lapses of drugs and medical devices. (Burton, 2/24)
The Washington Post:
Senate Confirms Robert Califf As New FDA Commissioner
Califf, who joined the FDA a year ago after decades as a researcher and administrator at Duke University, was nominated by President Obama to run the agency last September. But in the months that followed, his nomination faced opposition from a handful of senators, over everything from the nation's prescription painkiller epidemic to genetically engineered salmon.(Dennis, 2/24)
STAT:
Senate Confirms Robert Califf As New FDA Chief, Ending Battle For Top Job
Now that the Senate has officially approved Dr. Robert Califf as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, he’ll inherit an agency that is being pushed to approve new medical treatments more quickly without sacrificing safety — and facing pressure to act on a host of public health issues, including drug prices and the Zika virus, over which his agency has little control. (Kaplan, 2/24)
McClatchy:
Senate Confirms New FDA Commissioner
After five months of delays, the Senate voted 89-4 on Wednesday to confirm cardiologist Dr. Robert Califf, a longtime Duke University drug-trial researcher, as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Califf was nominated to the post by President Obama in September, but concerns about his ties to the pharmaceutical industry and some of the FDA’s practices tied up his confirmation. (Bergengruen, 2/24)
