FDA Commissioner Gottlieb resigns

The Washington Post is reporting, citing an unnamed administration official, that U.S. Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb will step down in about one month.

March 5, 2019

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is resigning, according to a person familiar with the matter as reported by the Washington Post. Gottlieb will leave his post in about a month, ending a nearly two-year tenure marked that will be remembered for its high number of drug approvals and its push to restrict vaping.

Gottlieb was brought in to cut red tape at the FDA by the Trump administration and during his time saw drug approvals skyrocket from 22 in 2016 to 59 new drugs in 2018.

The resignation comes as youth vaping, one of Gottlieb's signature issues, is being reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Read the Washington Post report