While it is still undecided who will be Dr. Scott Gottlieb's successor when he leaves the FDA in about a month, speculation about several candidates has emerged.
Among those discussed are Norman Sharpless, MD, director of the National Cancer Institute and Brett Giroir, MD, assistant secretary at HHS, The Wall Street Journal reports.
HHS will select Dr. Gottlieb's successor, and according to the WSJ, Dr. Giroir is believed to be the favored candidate of HHS Secretary Alex Azar.
Dr. Giroir has been Mr. Azar's go-to adviser in the department's efforts to fight the opioid crisis.
Bethany Hills, chair of the FDA practice at the law firm Mintz Levin, told BioPharma Dive that that Amy Abernethy, recently appointed principal deputy commissioner of the FDA, would likely serve as interim commissioner until HHS finds a permanent replacement for Dr. Gottlieb.
FDA commissioners tend to have a clinical background and are well known in their field of research, Ms. Hils said.