FDA chief Scott Gottlieb steps down
Commissioner led efforts to combat youth vaping
WASHINGTON – Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who stood out in the Trump administration for his efforts to increase regulations around youth vaping and tobacco – efforts that drew criticism from some of the president’s conservative allies – surprised supporters and critics with his resignation on Tuesday.
Gottlieb, a physician and a venture capitalist who was sworn in as FDA commissioner in May 2017, will leave his position in one month, the Department of Health and Human Services said. No successor was named Tuesday.
Gottlieb, 46, took aggressive steps to curb youth vaping, which he declared an “epidemic” last year, and opioid addiction.
In November, citing a rise in youth vaping that he called “discouraging,” he unveiled plans to restrict sales of sweet-flavored electronic cigarette liquid. His proposed changes have not yet been implemented.
Gottlieb’s efforts drew praise from consumer watchdog groups that had called for aggressive steps to stem the unfavorable youth vaping trends.
Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said Gottlieb’s work is incomplete.
“He initiated a number of potential actions that would have made an extraordinary impact, but he leaves with those actions unfinished,” Myers said. “On e-cigarettes, he deserves credit for shining a spotlight on the crisis of youth e-cigarette use. It will be impossible to reverse that crisis unless the FDA adopts industrywide rules before he leaves.”
Free-market groups and vaping industry interests have been critical of the FDA efforts under Gottlieb. Jeff Stier is a senior fellow at the free-market think tank Consumer Choice Center.
“We’ve been complaining and pointing out how the administration’s approach to e-cigarettes is not consistent with what president promised on limited regulation,” he said. “What Gottlieb was threatening was over-regulation.”
Gottlieb said he was “immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency,” and for the “strong support” of President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Alex Azar.
“This has been a wonderful journey and parting is very hard,” he tweeted.
Trump tweeted that Gottlieb had “done an absolutely terrific job” as commissioner: “He and his talents will be greatly missed!”
Azar called Gottlieb “an exemplary public health leader, aggressive advocate for American patients, and passionate promoter of innovation.”
Gottlieb previously served as the agency’s deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs.