Dr. Ned Sharpless, an official who runs the government’s cancer research arm, was tapped Tuesday by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to temporarily run the Food and Drug Administration.
Shapless will take on the role of acting FDA commissioner after the current commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, unexpectedly announced last week that he would be resigning his position in April, citing the need to spend more time with his family. Gottlieb was a favorite of both Democrats and Republicans, and of President Trump, and his official replacement will need Senate confirmation.
Gottleib focused on reducing vaping among teens, approving generic drugs, and promoting treatments for addiction during the opioid crisis, all of which Azar said in a statement would continue.
“We are grateful for Commissioner Gottlieb’s service at FDA and, under Dr. Sharpless’ leadership, we look forward to the agency continuing its important work,” Azar said in a statement. “Dr. Sharpless’ deep scientific background and expertise will make him a strong leader for FDA. There will be no let-up in the agency’s focus, from ongoing efforts on drug approvals and combating the opioid crisis to modernizing food safety and addressing the rapid rise in youth use of e-cigarettes.”
Sharpless, since 2017, has been director of the National Cancer Institute, the branch within the National Institutes of Health that provides medical research grants for cancer research. For three years before that he was director of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has been part of the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the UNC School of Medicine in the Departments of Medicine and Genetics.
Sharpless vowed in a statement to continue the work the FDA had started, saying it would be “an honor to advance the FDA’s critical public health mission.”
Gottlieb called Sharpless a “valued colleague to FDA” who was “deeply committed to public health.”
“He shares our mission and will be embraced warmly by the agency’s professional staff,” he said. “Under his skilled leadership, I’m confident the transition will be seamless and the FDA will continue to secure its consumer protection role and advance policies to promote innovation and safety for families.”
Dr. Douglas Lowy, the deputy director of the Cancer Institute, will become acting commissioner.
