Lester Crawford Resigns

Lester Crawford, the FDA's Commission, has resigned.  I am not sure what is behind the resignation  but this seems very mysterious to me.  Reuters reports,

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford abruptly resigned on Friday after a bruising fight over whether the agency would approve over-the-counter sales of a morning-after pill and a string of drug-safety controversies.

    Crawford's resignation takes effect immediately, health officials said. They offered no reason for his sudden departure less than three months after he was confirmed for the job.

    President George W. Bush asked National Cancer Institute Director Andrew Von Eschenbach to serve as acting FDA commissioner, the White House said.

    Crawford won a contentious confirmation battle in the Senate after Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt assured Senate Democrats the FDA would act on over-the-counter sales of the morning after pill Plan B by Sept. 1.

    But he came under fresh attack in late August when the FDA indefinitely postponed a ruling on whether Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. (BRL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) could sell the Plan B contraceptive without a prescription. The agency's top women's health official resigned in protest.

    The FDA also faced a string of drug safety controversies during Crawford's tenure. Some critics charged the agency with being too slow to react to signs of serious side effects from Merck & Co. Inc.'s (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) recalled painkiller Vioxx and other medicines.

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