Former medical device CEO considered for Trump FDA chief role

According to reports, the Trump administration is targeting Dr. Joseph Gulfo as the lead candidate to head the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Gulfo is the former CEO of medical device company Mela Sciences, now Strata Skin Sciences. He also acts as the executive director of the Lewis Centre for Healthcare Innovation and Technology at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

After the resignation of Dr. Robert Califf ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Dr. Stephen Ostroff took over as acting commissioner.

Other names were previously speculated to be in the running for the position. These include Jim O’Neill, a controversial figure for the position due to his lack of medical experience and comments on the FDA’s evaluation policy on medical devices and drugs. In addition, Dr. Scott Gottileb, an opponent of Obamacare was also reported to be in the running for the role. Unlike O’Neill, Gottileb’s medical background, usually a prerequisite for the FDA role, made him a better candidate.  

According to Stat News, Gulfo has spoken to two transition team officials about the FDA commissioner role.

In an interview with raps Gulfo spoke about the FDA’s responsibility for ensuring safe products are approved. He said:

“FDA has an awesome, daunting responsibility and no, we don’t want to compromise that. We want safe products. No buts about that. I always go to the mission of the FDA in the law: To promote health. A client once said: there’s got to be a balance. I believe safety and effectiveness with yes, continuing safety, observational studies to better inform the label, pull it or black box it or what not is the way to go. I don’t want toxic stuff out there. I believe you can do it without putting people in jeopardy. FDA gets hit from all sides, groups say they’re not doing enough or moving too slow."

The comments contrast widely with O’Neill’s, who dangerously believed in removing the approval process for drugs. O’Neill said: “We should reform FDA so there is approving drugs after their sponsors have demonstrated safety — at their own risk, but not much risk of safety. Let's prove efficacy after they've been legalised.”