Senate lawmakers overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Robert Califf as Food and Drug Administration Commissioner.
The Senate voted 89 to 4 in favor of Califf's nomination, which was announced by President Barack Obama last September.
Califf's confirmation was held up in part by opposition from Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Sanders placed a hold on Califf's nomination last month, citing concerns about the prominent cardiologist's close ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
However, Sanders was not among the four Senators that voted against Califf, as he is campaigning in Missouri and Oklahoma and did not vote.
Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., were the only Senators to vote against Califf's confirmation.
Califf, who currently serves as FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco, was long seen as the likely successor to former FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg.
Dr. Stephen Ostroff, previously the FDA's chief scientist, has served as acting commissioner since Hamburg stepped down last March after almost six years on the job.
Following the vote, Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said Califf is now in place to lead an agency that regulates over $4 trillion annually and affects the lives of nearly every single American.
Alexander said Califf will be a good partner in the committee's efforts to pass legislation that helps get safe and effective drugs and medical devices into doctors' offices and medicine cabinets more quickly.
by RTT Staff Writer
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