Wellness Industry News: Acting FDA Commissioner Named, Thorne Test Line Grows, Nitrosigine In Revel Energy, More

Outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's push for tightening oversight of the electronic cigarette market as well as tobacco products could continue under his interim replacement, National Cancer Institute Director Ned Sharpless. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed Sharpless' appointment as acting FDA director on March 12 during a House Energy and Commerce Committee health subcommittee hearing. Gottlieb on March 5 announced he planned to resign in a month. (Also see "With High Profile At FDA, Gottlieb Headed Ambitious Consumer Health Initiatives" - HBW Insight, 6 March, 2019.)

Sharpless, like Gottlieb a physician, headed the University of North Carolina Comprehensive Cancer Center before moving to NCI in late 2017. In a statement, Azar said, “There will be no let-up in [FDA's] focus, from ongoing efforts on drug approvals and combating the opioid crisis to modernizing food safety and addressing the rapid rise in youth use of e-cigarettes