Senate Confirms Cardiologist Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner
With a sweeping 89-4 Senate vote, Dr. Robert M. Califf was confirmed as FDA Commissioner on Wednesday, February 24th. 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.
To read more from WSJ about Dr. Califf, click here.