NYTIMES: Embattled Commissioner of F.D.A. Resigns

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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/politics/23cnd-fda.html

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September 23, 2005

Embattled Commissioner of F.D.A. Resigns

By MARIA NEWMAN

Lester M. Crawford resigned as the commissioner of the Food and Drug

Administration this afternoon, telling his staff that at 67, he is

ready to retire.

Dr. Crawford has been in the post only since July, yet his tenure

was marked by several controversies, including delays on the

approval of over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill and

questions about whether the F.D.A. had acted quickly enough to

inform consumers about dangers involving popular medicines like the

pain pill Vioxx and antidepressants like Zoloft.

The Associated Press said his resignation was effective immediately.

Health and Human Services Secretary O. Leavitt accepted

Crawford's resignation " with sadness, " a spokeswoman for the

department, Pearson, told The A.P. " We thank him for his

service and wish him well. "

Asked if he was forced to resign, Ms. Pearson declined further

comment, calling the matter a personnel issue.

Three weeks ago, the director of the F.D.A.'s office of women's

health resigned to protest the agency's decision days before to

further delay approval of over-the-counter sales of the morning-

after pill. Dr. F. Wood, who is an assistant F.D.A.

commissioner, said in an e-mail message to staff members that she

could no longer serve at the agency " when scientific and clinical

evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the

professional staff here, has been overruled. "

Critics of the pill, including some conservative groups, contend

that its easier availability would encourage young girls to engage

in risky sexual behavior. Proponents of the pill, including many

women's groups, say that its wider availability would reduce

unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

In announcing the decision to delay approval, Dr. Crawford said that

the F.D.A. had decided that the scientific research supported giving

over-the-counter access of the drug to women 17 and older, but that

the agency could not figure out how to do that from regulatory and

practical standpoints without younger teenagers' obtaining the

pills, too.

The decision infuriated many Democrats and abortion rights

advocates, who said the agency had allowed politics to trump

science.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dr. Wood said she " doesn't

find persuasive " the explanations offered by Dr. Crawford to justify

the agency's decision.

Dr. Crawford, a veterinarian who specialized in food safety, was

nominated in February and not confirmed for months because of

disputes among lawmakers over the morning-after pill and an

investigation into accusations that he was having an affair with a

colleague.

During his consideration for the top post, Senators Hillary Rodham

Clinton of New York and Patty Murray of Washington threatened to

keep the nomination from the floor unless Dr. Crawford prompted his

agency to make a long-delayed decision on whether the so-called

morning-after pill may be sold over the counter.

An inquiry into reports of the affair found some inconsistencies

between his and the woman's explanations of some of their

interactions, but investigators found no evidence of an affair, and

no senator wanted to pursue the issue further.

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