Dr Hamburg is Obama

Dr Hamburg is Obama's FDA Commissioner pick

US President Barack Obama has nominated Margaret Hamburg, the Health  Commissioner for New York City, to be the next permanent Food and Drug  Administration Commissioner, replacing Frank Torti, who has held the  position on an acting basis since the New Year. Dr Hamburg's main areas  of expertise are considered to be food safety and bioterrorism and the  President's remarks in a radio interview about the appointment indicate  that contaminated food scandals are a major element of the new  Commissioner's remit.

There were effusive messages of support from the Biotechnology Industry  Organization and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of  America (PhRMA), with the latter "applauding" the President on "his  expeditious selection," not mentioning that this may have been delayed  by the fiasco surrounding the nomination of the Secretary of the  Department of Health and Human Services (Marketletters passim). The  Generic Pharmaceutical Association, which would seem to have rather more  cause to be pleased with the new administration, issued a more measured  statement, opening with a quote from its president, Kathleen Jaeger, who  said: "GPhA stands ready to work with Dr Margaret Hamburg on the  critical issues facing the agency as it carries out its mission to  protect the public health."