With a sweeping 89-4 Senate vote, Dr. Robert M. Califf was confirmed as FDA Commissioner on Wednesday, February 24^th. A cardiologist by training, Dr. Califf spent years supervising clinical trials within the pharmaceutical industry. In his interview, Califf stressed the importance of using electronic medical databases as early-warning systems to identify safety lapses of drugs and devices. Further, he is adamant on the subject of identification numbers on medical devices; explaining that such numbers will allow the FDA to distinguish between minor device glitches, and those that are a major safety threat. Lastly, Califf expressed his discontent on the topic of opioid painkillers, and believes regulation needs to made priority.

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