US Senate confirms Stephen Hahn as FDA head

In a 72-18 vote, the US Senate has confirmed Stephen Hahn as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The vote, on Thursday, December 12, comes shortly after the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved President Donald Trump’s nomination on December 3.

On November 1, Trump announced 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.

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.

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

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

Alex Azar, US Health and Human Services secretary, said Hahn will be a “major boost to the already rapid pace of the president’s aggressive public health agenda”.

“Hahn brings an impressive set of scientific and leadership qualifications to the job, and I look forward to seeing the FDA and its people thrive under his leadership,” he added.

Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said Hahn “is exactly the type of nominee we want to lead an agency as important as the FDA”.

Alexander said five previous FDA commissioners, who have served under Presidents Trump, Obama and Bush, also pledged their support for Hahn.

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