The head of an investment firm co-founded by a major Trump supporter is under consideration to be President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration.
Jim O’Neill, the managing director of the investment firm Mithril Capital, is being considered, according to multiple reports. The investment firm was co-founded by Trump supporter and Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel.
O’Neill previously ran Thiel’s foundation and served at the Department of Health and Human Services as the deputy secretary during President George W. Bush administration.
Trump has previously railed against the FDA, saying that bureaucratic red tape at the agency has stalled development of new drugs. A part of his 100-day agenda is to speed up approval of new products at the agency.
If selected, O’Neill would be a vastly different pick than his two immediate predecessors, as he has no medical background.
Former FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg was a doctor and current Commissioner Robert Califf was a medical researcher at Duke University.
