Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Embattled FDA director resigns
Associated Press
Published September 24, 2005
WASHINGTON - Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford abruptly resigned Friday, saying that at age 67 it was time to step aside.
President Bush designated the National Cancer Institute's director, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, to be the agency's new acting commissioner.
Crawford's resignation came just two months after the Senate elevated the longtime agency deputy and acting commissioner to the top job.
His three-year tenure at FDA was marked by a rocky final 12 months. The painkiller Vioxx was pulled off the market for safety problems, FDA's British counterpart shut down a U.S. flu vaccine supplier for tainted shots, and recalls of malfunctioning heart devices mounted.
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt accepted Crawford's resignation "with sadness," said department spokeswoman Christina Pearson. "We thank him for his service and wish him well."
[Last modified September 24, 2005, 01:01:06]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
