IT'S OFFICIAL--HAMBURG & SHARFSTEIN!

New FDA Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner

President Barak Obama included the announcment of his picks for FDA Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in today's Saturday address. It is linked (thanks, Nancy F!), at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjX0iJU3vtY&eurl=http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/14/Food-Safety/

Three things are interesting to me. It seems unusual to use a Saturday for such announcements. And also not to have the nominee herself present, although perhaps that is typical for appointments at this level. I don't know. Finally, while there were references to drugs, the emphasis was on food. The goal seems to be to get this one through as easily as possible.

I also still wonder what this will mean for the current deputy commissioners who will be under Sharfstein. These are the FDA Old Guard in spades. Will they stick around? Should they?