Conflicts of interest at the FDA: the intersection between regulation and representation
In the tangled corridors of government oversight, Dr. Jeffrey E. Shuren was a prominent figure, heading the Food and Drug Administration’s medical device branch for more than a decade. Leading a team of about 2,500 people, Dr. Shuren oversaw an expansive budget of about $790 million, according to U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee documents. Dr. Shuren’s tenure has been marked by significant accomplishments, including record approvals of innovative medical devices ranging from joint replacements to infectious disease diagnostics. His leadership was recently praised by FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, who highlighted the historic number of new device…
