A radiation oncologist reportedly under consideration to become the nation’s top drug regulator will be formally nominated next week, according to a news report.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Trump planned to nominate Dr. Stephen Hahn, chief medical executive at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. BioCentury had reported earlier this month that Hahn would be nominated pending an FBI background check, and The Washington Post reported last month that he was under consideration.
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As commissioner, Hahn would replace acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless, who had also been under consideration to become the permanent commissioner to replace Scott Gottlieb, who was appointed in 2017 and left the agency in March. Sharpless was previously director of the National Cancer Institute. Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, had also reportedly been under consideration.
According to PubMed, Hahn’s recent publications include studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and Clinical Lung Cancer, all dealing with non-small cell lung cancer. Meanwhile, according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Open Payments and ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs databases, Hahn disclosed payments from drug and device companies for travel and related expenses and also received research funding. However, payments for 2014, 2016 and 2017 – the years for which data were available – were generally far below the mean and median for the country and for radiation oncologists. Gottlieb’s industry relationships became an issue during his confirmation hearing two years ago, and his appointment to the board of directors for Pfizer drew criticism over the “revolving door” between Washington and big business, prompting a call from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts and a candidate for the 2020 presidential election, for Gottlieb to resign.
The Journal noted that issues Hahn would face as commissioner include how the FDA should regulate tobacco and electronic cigarettes, in light of the epidemic of respiratory illnesses linked to vaping, the safety of medical devices, generic drug approvals and the regulatory status of cannabidiol, or CBD, in foods and other products.
Photo: FDA, Flickr
