The federal offices that decide which prescription drugs, vaccines, gene therapies and nicotine products reach American patients and consumers now have permanent leaders after more than a year of turnover.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced four selections, filling roles that had been held on an acting basis. Michael Davis, a physician and scientist who previously led teams in the agency's Office of New Drugs, becomes director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Karim Mikhail, who spent decades in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry before joining the FDA, becomes director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Bret Koplow, a lawyer who has served at the agency since 2011, becomes director of the Center for Tobacco Products. Jared Seehafer becomes the agency's first deputy commissioner for technology and artificial intelligence.
