FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has led the agency since 2017, has announced he will be resigning as of April 2019.
Gottlieb did not publicly say why he is leaving the agency.
Gottlieb was appointed in May 2017. During his tenure, he focused heavily on tobacco usage, including flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes. He also pushed for faster approval of generic drugs as part of the agency's effort to decrease prescription costs.
On the food side, Gottlieb has overseen the agency as it has fully implemented and begun enforcing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FSMA was the first major updating of food safety laws in more than 70 years, and Gottlieb's tenure coincided with the agency's move from an educational footing to a more enforcement-focused stance.
