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US FDA Commissioner Califf’s Baptism By Fire – Or, At Least, Formula

 
• By Michael McCaughan

Robert Califf’s second tenure as FDA commissioner already feels different from the first, thanks to a national shortage of infant formula – and an abundance of questions about what FDA could have done to prevent it.

Califf and baby formula
The baby formula shortage has put the challenges of being FDA commissioner into stark relief. • Source: Nielsen Hobbs; the Pink Sheet | Alamy and Shutterstock images

US Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf’s was sworn in earlier this year with an unsurpassed resume for the job: he had done it before.

That experience from the last year of the Obama Administration meant that Califf had direct, first-hand experience with what it...

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More from Agency Leadership

Will US FDA’s Leadership Rediscover The Value Of Advisory Committees?

 
• By Michael McCaughan

After the abrupt departure of CBER’s director, it seems FDA, and Vinay Prasad in particular, would likely have been well served by hearing from an advisory committee before requesting the suspension in sales of Sarepta’s DMD gene therapy Elevidys.

Double Duty At US FDA: Tidmarsh Will Temporarily Lead Both CDER And CBER

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

Just a week and a half into his tenure at the agency, the new CDER Director George Tidmarsh was also tapped to serve as acting head of CBER. Prasad’s swift ouster at CBER may point to a softening in cell and gene therapy regulation but could also portend even more scrutiny on vaccines.

New CTIS Feature To Bridge ‘Communication Gap’ Between Trial Sponsors & EU Assessors

 
• By Vibha Sharma

A task force set up by the EMA to identify and prioritize improvements to the Clinical Trials Information System has recommended several measures to enhance CTIS’ usability and efficiency, including the potential introduction of a communication tool for direct sponsor-assessor interaction.

England’s NICE Hunts For New Chief As Sam Roberts Prepares To Step Down

 
• By Eliza Slawther

Sam Roberts, chief executive of the health technology assessment institute, NICE, will step down from her role at the end of the year. The agency is now on the lookout for a new leader, who will be the fourth in its history.

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AI In Clinical Research: Benefits Across The Board, But ‘Nirvana’ Still Out Of Reach

 
• By Vibha Sharma

Generative artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT, have “democratized” AI, and contract research organizations are wholeheartedly embracing these tools, given their focus on efficiency, says Stephen Pyke, who chairs the AI committee at the Association of Clinical Research Organizations.

Japan Gives Global-First Recommendations To Taisho’s Vornorexant, Santen’s Sepetaprost

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Japan gives world-first approval recommendations to two domestically originated drugs, for insomnia and glaucoma/ocular hypertension.

August Brings Fresh Faces And Tough Calls To US FDA User Fee Calendar

 
• By Bridget Silverman

The FDA could act on 17 applications, including 10 novel agents, during August. Only one would be a second-cycle review.