Three finalists emerge to lead FDA
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White House aide Heidi Overton, oncologist Jeffrey Vacirca and senior Pentagon health official Stephen Ferrara are all in the running to be the next FDA commissioner, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: The agency is moving to repair its relationship with industry and rehire critical staff since the departure of former commissioner Marty Makary. But a full-time political leader will ultimately decide the agency's direction.
Driving the news: The three finalists are now being vetted. Overton and Vacirca were first reported as possible nominees by Bloomberg. Ferrara, now the Pentagon's principal deputy assistant secretary for health affairs, has not been previously reported.
- Overton is currently deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and before that was at the America First Policy Institute.
- Vacirca is CEO of the Board of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, and is past president of the Community Oncology Alliance.
- Ferrara previously served stints as chief medical officer for the Navy and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Between the lines: Sources with knowledge were generally most enthusiastic about Ferrara.
- Overton, a Makary protege, could "spook investors, industry, and FDA career staff," according to one source, citing concern about more of the turmoil that surrounded Makary's tenure over the past year.
- Ferrara and Vacirca are less known but can both claim some management experience, the source said.
- It's unclear when the final decision will be made and when President Trump would announce a nominee.
The eventual nominee would join numerous other high-level Trump health nominees who'd have to go through the Senate confirmation process — a potentially heavy lift in an election year.
