FDA frontrunner awaits OK

Lester Crawford, DVM, Ph.D., must be numb to the pins and needles by now.

Since July his name has been one of the leading choices for the next FDA commissioner among senior officials; and apparently, his name is one of only two that remains.

For whatever reason, however, the White House is not committing to anyone yet. When contacted by DVM Newsmagazine, the press office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue declined comment.

The delay by the White House, according to some sources, may be due to the lengthy background check required by the FBI, others suggest it is because Crawford has met with opposition from consumer groups with ties to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Food Chemical News reports. Kennedy chairs the Senate committee which will vote on the nomination.

Crawford, who served with the FDA, USDA, and National Food Processors Association, is director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Crawford's recent competition, Michael Astrue, a lawyer with a biopharmaceutical firm, withdrew his name from consideration in late October. Another name, Peter Barton Hutt, partner at Covington and Burling, also recently surfaced as being under White House consideration.

Some sources close to the matter suggest a decision may not be made until after the first of the year.

Read our continuing coverage on the Crawford nomination in DVM Newsmagazine.