The US Senate voted 78-16 to make Lester Crawford's appointment official, confirming him as FDA head yesterday afternoon. The news comes as a disappointment to some critics who have complained that the agency needs to change its culture and tighten its regulatory posture after public relations disasters like the Vioxx controversy and the recent defects reported by device makers like Guidant. The confirmation went through despite an attempt by freshman Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to stall the vote in order to force the Senate to consider a bill which would relax drug reimportation regulations.
- see this story from The Washington Post
- see this story from the Hill