A radiation oncologist from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is expected for nomination as the next Food and Drug Administration commissioner, according to a news report.
Citing sources familiar with the decision, BioCentury reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump had decided to nominate Dr. Stephen Hahn, and that the nomination would be announced after the FBI completes background checks. It also reported that Hahn was Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s top pick for the position.
The same publication had reported last month that Hahn was under consideration for the top FDA post, though assistant secretary of HHS Brett Giroir and current acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless were also in the running. However, Giroir had attracted controversy due to his opposition to abortion and fetal tissue research.
Hahn is currently chief medical executive at MD Anderson and had reportedly met with Trump last month to discuss his nomination as FDA commissioner. Hahn has worked at MD Anderson since 2015, when he started as chair of the radiation oncology department, according to his profile page on the cancer center’s website. Prior to that, he was a professor in the radiation oncology department of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he had worked since 1996. He also served as chief of the Department of Prostate Cancer Clinic at the National Cancer Institute, from 1994 to 1995.
Sharpless, the current acting commissioner, was previously director of the NCI and stepped into his current role following the resignation of former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in March.
BioCentury reported that the most contentious issue facing Hahn in the confirmation process will likely be the agency’s policies concerning vaping.
E-cigarettes have become a significant conundrum after hundreds of people have suffered lung injuries associated with the products. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 805 cases of lung injury have been reported from 46 states and one territory, and 12 deaths have been confirmed in 10 states. The latest findings suggest that products containing THC have played a role in the outbreak. The Trump administration has made plans to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes in order to tamp down on their use by teenagers.
Photo: FDA, Flickr (free from copyright protection)
