Von Eschenbach resigning from National Cancer Institute
Recently the acting FDA commissioner Andrews von Eschenbach said he would resign from his position as director of the National Cancer Institute. He had come under fire from various quarters by those who felt that both agencies need a full time director and that one person couldn’t do justice to both. I tend to agree and am cautiously optimistic about the development. The FDA definitely needs a full time director and someone who is going to be around for a while to set the vision for the agency. His approval by the Senate will most likely come under fire due to the political uproar over the Plan B emergency contraceptive and the FDA’s decision not to decide. The FDA told Duramed they need more time to make a decision regarding Plan B being available over the counter.
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April 18th, 2006 at 4:46 am
I think Dr. von Eschenbach resigned from the NIH for nothing. His nominiation will not result in his confirmation until the Plan B fiasco is cleared up. Unless the FDA musters the political conviction to resolve the outstanding issue, which there is absolutely no indication that it will, this nomination is doomed and the agency will go leaderless, as it has for many of the past years, at a time when its efficacy is being broadly called into question. There are no winners in this situation.
Mark Senak
www.eyeonfda.com
April 25th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Well, I don’t think his resignation was for nothing. It was an attempt calm some in congress and show that he was willing to make compromises. I do agree though that the Plan B is where the focus will be and the resignation from the NIH may be a mute point.
I also agree there are no winners. Also with the other recent items from the FDA, their solid scientific reputation is at stake.