Lost amidst all the other news from Congress yesterday, the Senate confirmed Dr. Stephen Hahn as commissioner of the FDA. He succeeds Scott Gottlieb, who left the federal agency in April.
Hahn, 59, is a cancer specialist and was the chief medical executive of University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where had been a professor of radiation oncology since January 2015. He specializes in treating lung cancer and sarcoma.
His nomination met with surprisingly little resistance – he was approved with a vote of 72-18. The biggest criticism was how he sidestepped questions about regulating vaping in his confirmation hearing last month.
After Gottlieb resigned on April 1, Dr. Ned Sharpless filled in as acting commissioner, but he was only allowed to serve at most 210 days as a temporary replacement, according to federal rules. He has since returned to his role as the director of the National Cancer Institute.
