Robert Califf Confirmed as FDA Commissioner

February 16, 2022

In a narrow 50-46 vote, Robert Califf has officially been confirmed as the Food and Drug Administrations new commissioner. This marks the conclusion of a fraught confirmation battle that saw opposition on both sides of the aisle due to criticisms of Califf’s previous record at the FDA and deep industry ties. This breaks a long and eventful leadership drought at the administration.

According to Nicholas Florko of STAT News, “All told, the FDA has been without a permanent leader for nearly 400 days, at a time when it was reviewing emergency Covid-19 applications for everything from vaccines and therapeutics to at-home tests and personal protective equipment.”