US FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb To Resign Next Month

Maryland, 6 March 2019: US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a letter to staff Tuesday that he will be leaving the agency.
"It's is hard for me to write this note to share with you the news that I'll be leaving my job as the Commissioner of Food and Drugs in the next month. There's perhaps nothing that could pull me away from this role other than the challenge of being apart from my family for these past two years and missing my wife and three young children," says the letter, which the FDA tweeted.
 
An administration official familiar with the situation said the move has been in the works for several months. Gottlieb has been commuting weekly to Washington from his home in Connecticut and is leaving to spend more time with his family, the official said.
 
Gottlieb tweeted that he is "grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency."
 
Gottlieb previously served as the agency's deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs. After he was appointed by President Donald Trump, he was sworn in as the 23rd commissioner on May 11, 2017.
 
Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA's parent agency, said in a statement Tuesday that Gottlieb "has been an exemplary public health leader, aggressive advocate for American patients, and passionate promoter of innovation."
 
During his tenure as commissioner, Gottlieb approved a record number of treatments and drugs and advanced policies to confront opioid addiction and prevent youth e-cigarette use. He also faced the longest government shutdown in history.CNN Politics