FDA Chief Scientist Ostroff Named Acting Head With Hamburg On Way Out

Margaret Hamburg’s background in public health, as opposed to academic medicine, was off-putting to some in pharma initially, but she’ll leave the agency in March with high drug approval numbers and praise from industry groups. Chief Scientist Stephen Ostroff has been named acting head, and some speculate that Robert Califf, newly appointed deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco, is in line to succeed Hamburg on a permanent basis.