Von Eschenbach To Resign as NCI Director This Month
Acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach on Wednesday announced that he will resign from his position as director of the National Cancer Institute, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. His resignation from NCI takes effect June 10, according to HHS spokesperson Christina Pearson (AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/1).
In March, President Bush nominated von Eschenbach to become permanent head of FDA, but Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) have placed a hold on the confirmation vote, which they say they will maintain until FDA makes a decision on whether to make Barr Laboratories' emergency contraceptive Plan B available without a prescription (California Healthline, 3/16).
John Niederhuber, a cancer surgeon from the University of Wisconsin, has been named to succeed von Eschenbach at NCI. Niederhuber has served as a deputy director of NCI since last fall (Grady, New York Times, 6/1).