Newt Gingrich, one of US President-elect Donald Trump's advisers, believes the Food and Drug Administration is a hindrance to medical innovation. He also believes it is the no. 1 "job-killer" in the United States. While public health advocates are expecting big changes from the Trump administration, the question is if he is going to dismantle the FDA.
"The FDA is a major prison guard stopping the breakout in health," Gingrich wrote in 2013. One should believe he is going to influence Trump about taking a major step regarding the FDA, when Trump's team visits the White Oak campus to learn more about the agency.
Donald Trump is officially in favor of reforming the FDA. His team wants to put more focus on innovative medical products and patients' needs. This may result in big changes in the FDA. With the kind of unconventional ways Trump seems to function, he may decide to reform it big time or dismantle it altogether.
Robert Califf took the charge as the FDA chief less than a year back. He believes there are reasons why the FDA takes time to take decisions. He says it is not easy to balance between the pressure from the industry and the protection for the patients.
"Unfortunately, too many of the decisions made today about health and health care are not supported by high-quality evidence, because there is such a limited amount available," Fox News quoted him as saying in May. "The current deficit in evidence has become particularly acute for the FDA, which in numerous areas lacks vital evidence needed to support definitive regulatory determinations of safety, efficacy, and appropriate indications for marketed medical products."
Many believe Califf may continue to lead the FDA. According to Catalyst Healthcare Consulting, Inc. President Nancy Bradish Myers, he should stay to ensure stability in the agency. However, it may be unlikely that he is asked to stay back, since there is a change of administration in the White House.
