FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who worked to fight teen vaping and opioid addiction, is resigning


Citing a desire to spend more time with his family in Connecticut, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb resigned from his post on Tuesday, an administration official said. Gottlieb's resignation will take effect in about a month. The Washington Post reported that his resignation was not sought by the White House and, despite some policy disagreements, he is well respected by the Trump administration.
Gottlieb's two-year tenure was marked largely by his push against teen vaping, which he called "an epidemic." He also focused heavily on fighting the opioid crisis. Per the Post, Gottlieb proved to be a pleasant surprise, especially among Democrats, who feared that his past consultancy work for drug and health care companies would mean that he would be lenient toward the drug industry.
But, instead, the Post reported that Gottlieb "stood out in the anti-regulatory Trump administration" and "avidly" inserted the FDA into health issues, including skyrocketing drug prices.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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