Biden Under Pressure to Name New FDA Commissioner as COVID-19 Vaccine Faith Falters

President-elect Joe Biden is under a lot of pressure to name a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner in his administration.

Biden is expected to fill top healthcare positions in his administration, especially with the erosion of public trust amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of that effort may be to have a new FDA commissioner, said Kaiser Health News.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn had a falling out with President Donald Trump after allowing FDA to move to stricter authorization measures.

But former FDA officials think Hahn will still be out as commissioner once Biden takes office in January.

Win or Lose, Trump Admin Can Still Step Up Virus Response

Former FDA chief, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told the White House that it could still step up its response to the pandemic whether they win or lose the election.

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are was a record of 121,888 new infections on Thursday.

Gottlieb called on Vice President Pence, as leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to coordinate a more comprehensive response to the pandemic, CNBC reported.

"I think there's an opportunity do to that, win or lose," Gottlieb told CNBC.

Gottlieb added that with election out of the way, the vice president can be more engaged in national strategy to manage the public health situation.

"It's not too late," he said.

Naming a New FDA Commissioner

Rebuilding the FDA is going to be a pressure point for the Biden administration. They are under pressure to move faster than any other modern president as virus deaths are expected to surge through the winter.

The FDA and its personnel will be giving the green light to vaccines and therapeutics to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having a new chief for the agency will have a rigorous process.

Unlike the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, a nominee for FDA commissioner has to go through Senate confirmation.

From the results of the election, it appears that whoever Biden picks to become FDA chief will be facing a GOP-controlled Senate. They may not be as keen as Democrats to give Biden's nominees a swift clear.

So even if Biden wants to move very fast to replace Hahn, it could take weeks after his inauguration before his pick could get to work.

While that is being sorted out, the FDA will have to face important decisions about vaccines.

Biden will have to rely on the temporary FDA chief to steer thousands of employees during a trying time in history.

The agency's credibility in vetting safety and efficacy of COVID-19 related therapeutics had been in question in the past months.

Hahn's inaccurate statements on some treatments made matter worse.

On top of that, arguments between FDA officials and the political figures from the White House also made people confused, Politico reported in October.

In September, eight officials from the agency wrote an op-ed in USA Today stating they will work "to maintain FDA's steadfast commitment to ensuring our decisions will continue to be guided by the best science."

A Biden adviser said the FDA and CDC suffered from loss of public trust, especially on matter regarding the vaccine.

"Change in leadership is critical," they said.