Thursday, September 21, 2006

Capitol Hill Watch

Senate HELP Committee Approves Von Eschenbach Nomination To Head FDA; Some Senators Say They Will Place Hold on Nomination

      The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday by voice vote approved President Bush's nomination of acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to permanently head the agency, but potential holds to a full Senate vote on the nomination remain, the New York Times reports (Harris, New York Times, 9/21). Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has said he would place a hold on the nomination unless steps are taken to remove Danco Laboratories' medical abortion drug Mifeprex from the market. The drug has been linked to eight deaths and "many injuries" since it was approved by FDA, CQ Today reports. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) also has said he would place a hold on the nomination until the Bush administration allows U.S. residents to purchase U.S.- made prescription drugs from abroad (CQ Today, 9/15). DeMint in a statement released on Wednesday said, "I believe a qualified FDA nominee would publicly discourage the use of [Mifeprex] and take immediate steps to suspend the drug until a full investigation can be completed. Dr. von Eschenbach has now been acting FDA commissioner for a year, yet he has done nothing to publicly discourage the use of this deadly drug" (Watts, Dow Jones, 9/20). Senate HELP Committee Chair Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) said he and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the ranking member on the panel, would be working "virtually full time" until the Senate convenes next week to persuade senators to approve the nomination (New York Times, 9/21). A spokesperson for DeMint said that while the senator "continues to work with the administration, the FDA and the (HELP) committee," he will maintain his hold on the nomination (Young, The Hill, 9/21).