Dr. Robert Califf returns to US FDA for his second stint as commissioner.
The US Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a narrow 50-46 vote, with five Democrats voting against him while six Republicans supported him. Califf’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry was a concerning issue.
Califf served as FDA’s deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco from February 2015 until his first appointment as commissioner in February 2016. Prior to rejoining FDA, Califf was head of medical strategy and senior advisor at Alphabet Inc., contributing to strategy and policy for its health subsidiaries Verily Life Sciences and Google Health. He is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine.
As commissioner, Califf will be overseeing tobacco-related issues including a menthol cigarette ban, reviewing and regulating e-cigarettes, as well as limiting nicotine levels in cigarettes. It is unknown what Califf’s official position is on these matters, but what might serve as clues about his stance on e-cigarettes are a tweet he sent out the same day he was sworn into office saying, “We will also need to focus on reducing harm from tobacco products and preventing young people from using harmful tobacco products, including e-cigarettes,’ as well as a 2019 article he wrote for the Association of American Medical Colleges in which he suggested regulations to “limit the harm done by vaping products” such as an immediate ban on flavors in vape products, lowering nicotine levels in tobacco products, banning over-the-counter vape products, and supporting prescription vaping do tobacco users do not go through withdrawals.
Janet Woodcock, who was serving as interim FDA commissioner, is transitioning to the position of principal deputy commissioner.
Mitch Zeller, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), will be retiring in April. FDA is searching for his successor.