Economics

Opioid Epidemic Is FDA's Top Priority, Says Pick to Head Agency

  • Scott Gottlieb also faced questions on ties to industry
  • Earned $1.85 million from T.R. Winston investment bank

Scott Gottlieb.

Source: American Enterprise Institute
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Opioid painkillers that have led to thousands of deaths and new drug addicts should be the highest priority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Scott Gottlieb, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency.

“The opioid epidemic in this country has staggering human consequences,” Gottlieb said Wednesday in a hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. “I think this is the biggest crisis facing the agency.”