Notes from BIO: Heal Thyself

The motto of the biotech industry's trade organization is "Heal, Fuel, Feed the World," and the group could start by getting us all a neck massage. Some genius decided to put the display screens in many if not all breakout sessions either far right or far left of stage, leaving audience members in their front-facing chairs to twist either their entire bodies or their necks to read slides. Sit through two or three breakouts a day, furiously scribbling notes, and it adds up to a lot of PowerPoint pain.

Oh, but we're not done. Normally IVB would be a great promoter of walking whenever possible, which at the McCormick conference center means marathon-length outings from one end to the other. But with so many attendees also toting laptops, binders full of presentation material, and pressing cell phones to one ear, the ergonomics of the long McCormick march are soon thrown out of whack.

Topping it off, we're in Chicago, which means various species of beef and booze are the mainstays of local cuisine. The most reliable food outlet in the McCormick Center, other than vending machines, is a McDonald's. (We, ahem, had a chicken snack wrap and fries.) We'd fret less about this if we could finish the day with a brisk walk back to the hotel. With the conference far south of the Loop and most hotels about four miles north as the crow flies, however, nearly all conferees grab cabs. Some even make fun of those who try valiantly to walk but give up half-way, sweaty outside Soldier Field and hopelessly late for a cocktail meet-up. We won't name names.

Next year, we're bringing our own neck pillows, jet packs, and salads.

Photo courtesy of flickr user paraflyer.

FDA Commissioner Update: Announcement Timing Provides Clues

Comments out of the White House that an announcement is imminent on President Obama’s choice for FDA commissioner indicate the pick is someone who has already been thoroughly vetted.

Duke cardiologist Robert Califf and Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein have been formally interviewed for the job by HHS Secretary-designate Tom Daschle and would appear to be the two most serious names to make the final cut (“The Pink Sheet,” January 19, 2009, p. 3).

It’s understood that Califf has the backing of Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) while Sharfstein is being vigorously supported by House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

“I know the President hopes in the next few days to announce a pick for commissioner at FDA,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said during a briefing on January 30 in response to a question regarding tainted peanut butter. To read the thoughts of our OTC friends on an agency review, click here. (For peanut-butter-jelly-time, click here.)

The timing of the announcement makes it less likely that a name to have emerged recently would be under serious consideration for the FDA post unless the individual had already been through an interview with either Daschle or White House personnel officials.

For example, former New York City health commissioner Margaret Hamburg’s name made the rounds of the Washington rumor mill over the last week. While Hamburg was a member of the HHS transition team, is a former high ranking HHS official, and could be considered for any number of health positions, it’s unclear whether she received anything more than a screening interview. To read more about Hamburg, click here.

Former FDA commissioner Jane Henney could be a strong fallback option if the administration feels Sharfstein and Califf don’t meet all of the necessary criteria for the job. Whether Henney ever went beyond the initial screening process, however, is unconfirmed.

Still, the FDA announcement could wait until the tax situation holding up Daschle’s confirmation becomes more lucid and predictable. President Obama told White House reporters he “absolutely” stands behind Daschle’s nomination for HHS Secretary.

In fact, the administration is proceeding as if the confirmation will be a forgone conclusion. Obama’s top FDA advisor in the Senate Dora Hughes is now at the White House working with the health policy group, presumably in the Office of Health Reform. Harvard economist and top Obama advisor during the campaign David Cutler is also moving to Washington to work on the administration’s reform agenda. To read more, click here.

NIH Department of Bioethics Chairman Ezekiel Emanuel is on detail to the Office of Management & Budget working with new health desk head Keith Fontenot on health reform issues. To read more about Fontenot, click here.

Emanuel, author of the health care book “Healthcare Guaranteed,” is the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.