Eschenbach "not fit" to lead FDA: Wolfe

Andrew von Eschenbach "is not qualified to lead the US Food and Drug Administrations," claims Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. If confirmed by the US Senate as the next Commissioner, he "will become yet another Bush appointee whose main reason for being selected is that he is a family friend, someone who has been warmly embraced by the regulated industries - especially the pharmaceutical industry - and someone who has been and will continue to be loyal to the White House agenda," says Dr Wolfe.

"Dr von Eschenbach continues to exhibit extraordinarily bad judgment, a lack of being in touch with reality and insensitivity to the hopes and fears of other cancer patients and their friends and families, as evidenced by his oft-stated "plan" to eliminate the suffering and death from cancer by 2015. Eradicating cancer within 10 years is not realistic, and by making this statement, [Dr] von Eschenbach is cruelly raising people's hopes," says Dr Wolfe.