Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders won’t vote for Robert Califf as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, saying he is worried about the researcher’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
The Vermont senator, who is an independent but caucuses with the chamber’s Democrats, said Friday the U.S. is already struggling with high drug prices and doesn’t need a nominee who is too close to industry. He cited prior work the medical researcher performed for drug companies.
“It is about time that the FDA and Congress started listening to the overwhelming majority of the American people who believe that medicine is too expensive,” the senator said.
Sanders cited a report from the New York Times saying that Califf ran a multimillion-dollar clinical research center at Duke University. Califf joined the FDA in January as deputy commissioner of medical products.
The FDA responded that Califf’s career has been dedicated to “advancing biomedical research,” a spokesman said. This includes reviewing the “safety, efficacy and appropriate use of both new medical products and those already on the market.”
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that from 2009 to early 2015 Califf got more than $200,000 from drug makers in consulting fees. The report said that Califf donated all of his consulting fees to nonprofits.
Sanders isn’t the only lawmaker to raise concerns about Califf and the agency.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., recently told the Washington Examiner that he wants to know if the next commissioner will not “go rogue” on opioid approvals. Manchin has been upset with the agency for approving a painkiller without abuse-deterrent technology.
Meanwhile, Republicans want to know whether Califf will speed up drug approvals to get new treatments to the market.
A confirmation hearing for Califf has not been scheduled. Neither Sanders nor Manchin sit on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will hold the hearings.
