Califf said that his reasoning for returning to the FDA is public service, saying that he is «a 70-year-old person with nothing to gain.»
President Joe Biden ‘s pick to become commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Robert Califf, said the «price of pharmaceuticals is way too high» at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. During the hearing, Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders asked Califf a question related to Califf’s relations with drug companies and his investments in pharmaceutical stocks. «What kind of comfort can you give to the American people when you have been so closely tied to the pharmaceutical industry yourself?» asked Sanders. «I’m totally with you. The price of pharmaceuticals is way too high in this country,» Califf responded. Califf, who served as FDA commissioner before the end of the Obama administration, promised that he would work to make prescription drugs more affordable, use data to efficiently approve COVID treatments and tests, do a full review of the agency’s management of opioid painkillers, continue the focus on tobacco regulation and combat medical misinformation on social media if he were confirmed. He is a cardiologist with strong connections to the pharmaceutical industry and academic research centers. He worked at Duke University for over 35 years, creating a contract research organization that conducts studies for the world’s largest drugmakers, until he became FDA commissioner.
