According to a number of news reports Tuesday, Scott Gottlieb, Food and Drug Commissioner, has resigned to spend more time with his young family. He had a long commute weekly from Connecticut. He will leave in 1 month.
Gottlieb has been instrumental in moving the FDA to approve a record number of treatments and drugs, also tackling drug pricing, creating opioid addiction programs, and the prevention of youth vaping and e-cigarette use.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement regarding the service of Commissioner Gottlieb:
“All of us at HHS are proud of the remarkable work Commissioner Gottlieb has done at the FDA. He has been an exemplary public health leader, aggressive advocate for American patients, and passionate promoter of innovation. I will personally miss working with Scott on the important goals we share, and I know that is true for so many other members of the HHS family.
“Scott’s leadership inspired historic results from the FDA team, which delivered record approvals of both innovative treatments and affordable generic drugs, while advancing important policies to confront opioid addiction, tobacco and youth e-cigarette use, chronic disease, and more. The public health of our country is better off for the work Scott and the entire FDA team have done over the last two years.”
CMS Administrator Seema Verma offered the following statement on Gottlieb’s resignation, “Scott has been both a great leader as FDA Commissioner and a wonderful friend. I am honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to work alongside him and see all that he has accomplished for the American people to spur medical innovation, increase access to generic drugs, and advance many other public health priorities. I join the entire HHS family in thanking him for his service”.
