Former Commissioners Recommend Making FDA An Independent Agency

Six former FDA commissioners over the weekend expressed support for making the FDA an independent agency, citing concerns with accessibility to the president, the affects of micromanagement on the agency and the “political maze” regulatory decisions currently need to navigate that keep FDA from taking important actions. Former commissioners Margaret Hamburg, Jane Henney, David Kessler, Mark McClellan, Andrew von Eschenbach and Frank Young spoke about the agency's independence at Spotlight Health during the Aspen Ideas Festival Saturday (June 25). The...