Al Drago/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Trump has announced he will nominate Scott Gottlieb as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, according to a statement from the White House.
Gottlieb, a physician and former FDA official during the George W. Bush administration, has been a board member for several drug companies and is a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act.
He is currently a partner at New Enterprise Associates, specializing in health care investments, and is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Before his time at NEA, Gottlieb served as deputy commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs at the FDA.
Gottlieb will require Senate confirmation before he can assume the position leading the group, which oversees the safety of food and pharmaceuticals in the U.S.
The FDA lies within the Department of Health and Human Services, which is led by another doctor, Tom Price. The agency was most recently overseen by Commissioner Robert Califf, who held the role from February 2016 until Trump’s inauguration.
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