President Bush’s nominee to run the Food and Drug Administration vowed on Thursday to lead a “transformation” of the agency now under fire for a series of drug safety problems.Lester Crawford, currently the FDA’s acting commissioner, told Congress the agency was “transforming our culture to one of transparency, collaboration and cutting-edge thinking.""I am committed to addressing existing concerns regarding post-market safety of FDA-regulated products, both in medical products and food,” Crawford told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.He also said he would focus on minimizing the threat of a terrorist attack on the nation’s food supply.Democrats said they wanted assurances that Crawford could rebuild public trust in the agency after a string of serious side effects were linked to FDA-approved drugs."These drug safety controversies occurred during your tenure as acting commissioner of the FDA, and quite frankly, I was disappointed by your response,” said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a New York Democrat. “I think the American public lost a great deal of confidence in the ability of the agency to ensure the safety of their medications."The FDA regulates a vast array of consumer products, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, most foods and dietary supplements.The nomination of Crawford as FDA commissioner must be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.Crawford is a veterinarian and food policy expert with a doctorate in pharmacology. He has run the FDA since March 2004, when previous Commissioner Mark McClellan left to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Crawford also served as acting FDA commissioner from February to November 2002.
