US Senate Committee votes in Stephen Hahn as FDA Commissioner

The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has approved President Donald Trump’s nomination for Stephen Hahn to serve as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA).

The committee’s 18-5 vote on Tuesday, December 3, advances Hahn’s nomination, which will now need to be confirmed by the full Senate.

The favourable vote comes after Trump announced on November 1 that he would be nominating Hahn, who is currently the chief medical executive at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ( MDACC) for the position.

Hahn will replace current acting commissioner, Ned Sharpless, who took up the position in April after Scott Gottleib resigned.

In November, Sharpless returned to his role as the director of the National Cancer Institute.

Speaking on Tuesday, chairman of the committee, Lamar Alexander, said Hahn is “exactly the type of nominee” to lead the FDA.

“Now it’s time for him to be confirmed because there is a lot the FDA needs to do—approve new life-saving drugs and devices, regulate tobacco and e-cigarettes, address the opioid crisis and ensure pain patients can receive the medications they need, and protect our nation’s food supply,” Alexander said.

According to Peter Pisters, the president of MDACC, five previous FDA commissioners, who have served under Trump, Obama and Bush, have pledged their support for Hahn.

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