Robert Reich on Obama's nominee for the FDA

I’ve never met Robert Califf, the President’s new nominee to be the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, but I’m deeply worried about his appointment – and so should you be.

According to the New York Times, Califf has “deeper ties to the pharmaceutical industry than any F.D.A. commissioner in recent memory.” His financial disclosure form lists seven drug companies and a device maker that have paid him for consulting, and six others that have supported his university salary at Duke, where his research center gets more than 60 percent of its funding from the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Califf may believe he is impartial. But I’ve met many academics and scientists on an industry dole who have convinced themselves their research and values haven’t been affected by their financial dependence, when in fact they have been. Self-delusion is one of the most common forms of deception, especially when money is involved.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates about a quarter of every dollar spent in the United States. And America’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the most politically potent of all industries – which explains why Americans pay more for pharmaceuticals than the citizens of any other advanced economy, yet are often harmed by drugs that are neither safe nor effective.

There’s no excuse to confirm someone for such an important regulatory job, with such extensive personal financial ties to the industry being regulated.

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