FDA chief Gottlieb resigns after nearly two years

Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), resigned from his post yesterday, March 5, with plans to step down in the next month.

The FDA shared a  letter from Gottlieb, who said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and three young children in Connecticut,

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!”

During his tenure, Gottlieb advanced a number of initiatives on addressing drug pricing, by increasing competition in the US market for prescription drugs and facilitating the entry of generic drugs into the market.

Just one month after his appointment, the FDA  announced its intention to target the barriers to generic drug competition, with Gottlieb stating that although the FDA doesn’t have a direct role in drug pricing, it can take steps to help address the problem.

As part of the plan, the FDA implemented a policy to expedite the review of generic drug applications, until there are three approved generics for a given drug.

In his resignation letter, Gottlieb said he was "immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency," and for the "strong support" of Trump and Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (the FDA's parent agency).

A successor has not yet been named.

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