Committee advances FDA chief nominee Robert Califf for full Senate vote
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A Senate committee has voted to advance President Biden's nominee for FDA Commissioner, Robert Califf, to the full Senate.
The vote was 13-8, a close margin that indicates Senate approval is not a sure thing.
A number of senators, especially Democrats, have expressed concerns over Califf's connections to pharmaceutical companies. He has received consulting fees from companies including Merck (MRK
+0.2%), Amgen (AMGN
+0.1%), Biogen (BIIB
+5.9%), Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY
-0.7%) unit Genentech, and Eli Lilly (LLY
-2.2%).
Califf briefly served as FDA commissioner during President Obama's second term.

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