The tenure of current Acting Commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Janet Woodcock will end at the beginning of November.  It is understood that the White House will nominated Dr. Robert Califf a cardiologist and previously a Commissioner of the Agency during the last year of the Obama Administration to the position.  He was confirmed overwhelmingly in the Senate in 2016 and he is considered the most likely of potential candidates to be confirmed.  Former Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan noted that Dr. Califf has experience in leading the FDA and will be able to initiate action on a number of critical issues including COVID vaccination of children, the continuing opioid crisis, approval of drugs for Alzheimer disease and E-cigarettes.

Since the FDA works closely with NIH, replacement of Dr. Francis Collins who will retire at the end of the year is an important consideration in selecting the next Commissioner. The leader of the FDA, Director of the CDC and the Director of the NIH must cooperate and be mutually compatible to formulate and implement programs advancing public health.