He’s a long shot. But Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Dr. Steven Nissen may be exactly what the troubled Food & Drug Administration needs.
Conventional wisdom is that the departure of FDA deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein represents an olive branch to newly empowered Congressional Republicans, who viewed Sharfstein as hostile to the industry. Sharfstein sought to crack down on drug and device companies and was once a staffer with a Democratic Congressman. So it could be that Sharfstein’s replacement will be someone who’s viewed as more industry friendly and therefore more palatable to Republicans.