Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Oncologist With No Previous Ties To Washington Meets With Trump About Helming FDA
Stat: MD Anderson Oncologist Met With Trump About FDA Commissioner Job
Texas oncologist Dr. Stephen Hahn met with President Trump Wednesday about a potential nomination to helm the Food and Drug Administration, according to two Republican policy experts and one without a party affiliation. Hahn is chief medical executive at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, but unlike many of the other men and women who have recently led the FDA, he has no Washington experience. (Florko, 9/5)
The Washington Post: M.D. Anderson Cancer Doctor Stephen Hahn Emerges As A Top Candidate For FDA Job
An administration official said that Trump has not made a decision on the FDA job, but that Hahn “is a strong candidate.” He has emerged as the chief rival to Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, who was tapped as acting FDA chief after Commissioner Scott Gottlieb resigned in March. Sharpless previously was director of the National Cancer Institute and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. He can serve as acting commissioner only until Nov. 1. (McGinley, 9/5)
Houston Chronicle: MD Anderson Doctor A Candidate To Head FDA
Hahn, 59, has been at MD Anderson since 2015, when he was hired to head radiation oncology at the elite cancer center. Two years later, he became chief operating officer, then quickly made headlines when he told colleagues MD Anderson was on track to lose up to $450 million in the new fiscal year without swift and decisive action. The hospital eventually turned its finances around, but not before it laid off 778 employees and Dr. Ron DePinho was forced out as president. (Ackerman, 9/5)
