President Obama announced he has chosen a new Food and Drug Administration commissioner with deep industry ties.
Obama said Tuesday afternoon that he has picked Robert Califf as his selection to become the commissioner and replace Margaret Hamburg, who left the agency in March, Bloomberg reported.
Califf has been serving as deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco since January. He came from Duke University where he was a cardiologist.
Califf was widely seen as a potential replacement for Hamburg ever since he joined the agency.
He could face some heated Senate queries over his close ties to pharmaceutical companies. He received research grants from pharmaceutical giants.
However, Califf also has a lot of respect in the medical community, especially among his fellow cardiologists.
He was also part of the Institute of Medicine committees that recommended Medicare cover clinical trials and removed the unsafe weight-loss drug ephedra from the market.
If Califf is approved by the Senate, he would replace acting commissioner Stephen Ostroff.
