FDA Commissioner Kessler Resigns His Post

US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler announced his proposed resignation on Monday, November 25. He will leave the agency early 1997, after a successor has been named. In the interim, the agency has admittted there will be a "lame duck" Commissioner.

In an interview with ABC News after announcing his resignation, Dr Kessler said that he was leaving because "there was a time to serve and a time to leave." He said that he had focused on the things that made a difference in the daily lives of Americans - on diet and health, on food labeling and on tobacco. As for whether he was satisfied with his accomplishments, he said, "you can't do everything."

Proud Of Cutting Drug Approval Times Dr Kessler said he was proud of the cut in approval times for drugs, noting that all nine AIDS drugs now in use were approved first in the USA. The USA, he added, has a faster approval time than other countries. Asked if his resignation would mean radical change at the agency, he stated that the FDA cannot be deregulated if health and safety are to remain at the forefront.