Dive Brief:
- President Barack Obama said he plans to nominate Robert Califf as the next FDA commissioner. The Senate still has to verify the nomination.
- Former FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg named Califf the agency's deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco in January.
- Hamburg stepped down from the position at the end of March, while Stephen Ostroff has retained the title in the interim.
Dive Insight:
The move doesn't come as a surprise, considering speculation began with his deputy appointment.
The FDA recently published two final rules (of seven) for the Food Safety Modernization Act: preventive controls for both human and animal food. While the rules were signed by the president back in January 2011, the rules are only now finally out.
"The final rule has elements of both the original and supplemental proposals, in addition to new requirements that are the outgrowth of public input received during the comment period for both proposals," according to the FDA on preventive controls for human food rule."
