WASHINGTON — It took just three short paragraphs for Robert Califf to earn the public support of an undecided senator for his bid to become the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the powerful chair of the Senate Finance Committee, announced Thursday that he would support Califf’s nomination. His decision came just days after he implied he would need additional commitments about how the nominee would crack down on companies that thwart the rules of the FDA’s so-called accelerated approval pathway before voting to confirm him as the head of the agency.
Last week, Wyden sent a letter asking Califf five specific questions about reforming the pathway, including how the FDA would determine when companies thwart the rules and what legal authority it would use to crack down on companies. He said the questions were to ensure Califf would take a “forceful stance.”
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