Resignation of FDA commissioner sparks more criticism of the administration

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford, 67, resigned suddenly today, after presiding over the regulatory agency for three years.
• Andrew von Eschenbach, the head of the National Cancer Institute, was reportedly named as his temporary replacement.
• Crawford, who until July was only an "acting" commissioner, leaves behind an FDA beset by controversies, not least of which is whether it did an adequate job of guarding patient safety with regard to medicines such as Vioxx, the withdrawn Merck (nyse: MRK - news - people) arthritis drug, and a whole host of antidepressants that critics say may be linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts in some patients.
• Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who has been critical of the FDA, issued a statement calling for leadership that would "reinvigorate the agency."
• "In recent years, the FDA has demonstrated a too-cozy relationship with the pharmaceutical industry," Grassley wrote, "and an attitude of shielding rather than disclosing information.
• The opportunity to name a new commissioner is a chance to take the agency in a necessary new direction.
• Now is the time to reform the FDA's culture and reassert that the agency's top priority is what's good for John Q. Public when it comes to reviewing drugs in the marketplace and making new miracle medicines available."
• Peter Pitts, who once served as the FDA's associate commissioner for external relations, noted on his blog that Crawford was a public servant.
• "I am proud to have served with Les Crawford at the FDA," he wrote.
• "I am prouder to consider him my friend."
• Pitts is a senior fellow for health care studies at the Pacific Research Institute and senior vice president for health affairs at Manning, Selvage & Lee.