Chutes & Ladders: Wall Street insider named to FDA post

Wall Street reacted favorably to the appointment of Dr. Scott Gottlieb to the FDA's No. 2 job this week. Critics, however, are questioning Gottlieb's ties to investors and his stance on fast-track approval for new drugs. The Seattle Times, which recently ran a series exposing questionable business relationships between prominent medical researchers and Wall Street, writes that the appointment may "send exactly the wrong message." Gottlieb denies any potential conflict of interest and said he will give up his job as a newsletter writer covering biotech for Forbes to move over to the FDA post.

- see this story from the Seattle Times

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