Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., Is Resigning

At approximately 3 p.m. E.T. on Tuesday, March 5, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, a champion for strong causes that often ran lockstep with a large part of our industry, resigned today as stated by the White House. According to the
Washington Post, his resignation was not requested by any administration officials and that Gottlieb resigned to spend more time with his family.

The Washington Post also notes that Commissioner Gottlieb led the FDA through some of its most active steps, a sharp contrast to the ebbing of other agencies, like the EPA, over the past two years and actively sought new solutions to age-old problems both within our industry and within the food and drug industry at large.

Recently, Gottlieb made comments about the use of hemp in supplementation and was widely regarded to be a friend to the industry (with caveats), aiming to make our industry better for us by removing bad-faith actors and better for the public by increasing both the safety of supplements and public confidence in them. As we stated in an earlier Speedy Update, he took action against a number of companies in our industry that were skirting the regulations and acting outside of the law while acknowledging the numerous good-faith actors within the industry.

Gottlieb’s resignation takes effect a month from today. No news has yet emerged about a successor or what that means for our industry or for the food and drug industries he was charged with regulating and overseeing.

We at SENPA will be watching this development closely for any effects to our industry and will be sure to update you as more details become available.