Donald Trump to nominate Stephen Hahn as FDA commissioner

US President Donald Trump has nominated a new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

In an announcement on Friday, November 1, Trump said he intends to nominate Stephen Hahn, chief medical executive at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ( MDACC) for the position.

MDACC is a research-driven patient care organisation that has approximately 21,000 employees and annual revenue of $5 billion. It operates the largest number of clinical trials in the US.

As a radiation oncologist, Hahn specialises in treating lung cancer and sarcoma.

Trump’s announcement passes over the current acting commissioner, Ned Sharpless, who took up the position in April, when Scott Gottleib resigned.

The US Department of Health and Human Services said Friday that Sharpless will be returning to his role as director of the National Cancer Institute, which he previously held before taking over as acting commissioner.

Gottlieb resigned in March after two years in the post. In a letter, shared by the FDA, he said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and children.

US President Donald Trump nominated Gottlieb, who was appointed as the 23rd commissioner in May 2017.

Following the resignation announcement, Trump tweeted: “Scott has helped us to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. He and his talents will be greatly missed!”

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