Senate Panel Backs Califf For FDA Chief, Sends Nomination To Full Senate

The Senate health committee on Thursday (Jan. 13) voted in favor of President Joe Biden’s FDA chief-nominee Robert Califf, with 13 committee members voting “yes” for Califf and eight members voting against his nomination, including Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), both of whom maintain that Califf’s close ties to industry would hinder the administration’s efforts to effectively respond to the opioid epidemic and increase drug competition and lower drug prices. Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (LA), Mike Braun...