FDA commissioner Gottlieb resigns
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, is stepping down. He will leave the agency next month.
President Donald Trump confirmed the resignation in a tweet, saying, “Scott Gottlieb, who has done an absolutely terrific job as commissioner of the FDA, plans to leave government service sometime next month....Scott has helped us to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. He and his talents will be greatly missed!”
Gottlieb has been commuting weekly to Washington, D.C., from his home in Connecticut and is leaving to spend more time with his family, according to an official who spoke to CNN.
Prior to his post as FDA commissioner, Gottlieb served as the FDA's deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs. He was appointed as commissioner by President Trump and sworn in on May 11, 2017.
Gottlieb said in a tweet,”I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency, for the support of my colleagues, for the public health goals we advanced together, and the strong support of @SecAzar and @realDonaldTrump - This has been a wonderful journey and parting is very hard.”
Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar said in a tweet, “All of us at @HHSGov are proud of the remarkable work @SGottliebFDA has done at FDA. The public health of our country is better off for the work the @US_FDA team has done over the last two years, and I will personally miss working with Scott.”
The Association for Accessible Medicines issued a statement, which said, “We wish Dr. Scott Gottlieb the very best in his next chapter. If the early news reports are true, the generic and biosimilars industry will miss this true champion of patient access. Through his generic and biosimilar action plans; education efforts about the safety and efficacy of the U.S. drug supply; and ongoing and open dialogue with industry, Dr. Gottlieb set a high bar for those who are working to bring relief to American patients from the burden of high drug costs.”
Gottlieb's efforts didn't just impact the pharmacy sector, but also the OTC side of the industry. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association president and CEO Scott Melville also praised Gottlieb for his work at the helm of the FDA.
“Commissioner Gottlieb has been a vocal advocate for ensuring consumer access to safe and reliable self-care options, including over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements,” Melville said. “His tenure at FDA has been marked by tremendous progress on modernizing the regulatory framework for OTC medicines and beginning similar work for dietary supplements. CHPA will continue to advocate for these important public health initiatives moving forward. CHPA thanks commissioner Gottlieb for his active leadership of the Agency.”
President Donald Trump confirmed the resignation in a tweet, saying, “Scott Gottlieb, who has done an absolutely terrific job as commissioner of the FDA, plans to leave government service sometime next month....Scott has helped us to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. He and his talents will be greatly missed!”Gottlieb has been commuting weekly to Washington, D.C., from his home in Connecticut and is leaving to spend more time with his family, according to an official who spoke to CNN.
Prior to his post as FDA commissioner, Gottlieb served as the FDA's deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs. He was appointed as commissioner by President Trump and sworn in on May 11, 2017.
Gottlieb said in a tweet,”I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency, for the support of my colleagues, for the public health goals we advanced together, and the strong support of @SecAzar and @realDonaldTrump - This has been a wonderful journey and parting is very hard.”
Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar said in a tweet, “All of us at @HHSGov are proud of the remarkable work @SGottliebFDA has done at FDA. The public health of our country is better off for the work the @US_FDA team has done over the last two years, and I will personally miss working with Scott.”
The Association for Accessible Medicines issued a statement, which said, “We wish Dr. Scott Gottlieb the very best in his next chapter. If the early news reports are true, the generic and biosimilars industry will miss this true champion of patient access. Through his generic and biosimilar action plans; education efforts about the safety and efficacy of the U.S. drug supply; and ongoing and open dialogue with industry, Dr. Gottlieb set a high bar for those who are working to bring relief to American patients from the burden of high drug costs.”
Gottlieb's efforts didn't just impact the pharmacy sector, but also the OTC side of the industry. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association president and CEO Scott Melville also praised Gottlieb for his work at the helm of the FDA.
“Commissioner Gottlieb has been a vocal advocate for ensuring consumer access to safe and reliable self-care options, including over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements,” Melville said. “His tenure at FDA has been marked by tremendous progress on modernizing the regulatory framework for OTC medicines and beginning similar work for dietary supplements. CHPA will continue to advocate for these important public health initiatives moving forward. CHPA thanks commissioner Gottlieb for his active leadership of the Agency.”