Dive Brief:
- National Cancer Institute Director Ned Sharpless will serve as acting commissioner of FDA effective early April, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday.
- The temporary replacement comes one week after FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he would resign effective in one month.
- Sharpless, who according to the NCI website co-founded the tech companies G1 Therapeutics and HealthSpan Diagnostics, was sworn in as head of NCI Oct. 17, 2017.
Dive Insight:
I’m delighted by the announcement from @SecAzar that @NCIDirector will serve as acting commissioner of #FDA. Ned is a friend to FDA, a great public health champion, a dedicated physician, and will be warmly welcomed into his new role. FDA will benefit greatly from his leadership.
— Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (@SGottliebFDA) March 12, 2019
This is a developing story.