FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., has resigned and will leave his post next month after almost two years at the helm. The move was a surprise, given he tweeted just two months ago that rumors of his departure were not true and he was determined to lead the agency through challenging regulatory issues.
The public health agency has taken aim at the opioid crisis, teen vaping and, most recently, dietary supplement regulation.
“I want to be very clear – I’m not leaving,” he tweeted, on Jan. 3, 2019. “We’ve got a lot important policy we’ll advance this year. I look forward to sharing my 2019 strategic roadmap soon.”
However, Gottlieb tweeted this afternoon, “I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency, for the support of my colleagues, for the public health goals we advanced together, and the strong support of @SecAzar and @realDonaldTrump – This has been a wonderful journey and parting is very hard.”
Gottlieb only said he was leaving, effective one month from today, to spend more time with family, whom reside in Connecticut, while Gottlieb works at FDA in the Washington D.C. area. According to the Washington Post, which broke the story, White House officials assured the move was not initiated by President Trump.
In a statement released online, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar praised Gottlieb as a “public health leader, aggressive advocate for American patients, and passionate promoter of innovation.” Azar said he would personally miss working with Gottlieb on policy. “The public health of our country is better off for the work Scott and the entire FDA team have done over the last two years.”
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