Senator Hassan Meets with Acting FDA Commissioner, Presses for Answers on FDA’s Actions Regarding the Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan yesterday met with Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Ned Sharpless calling for a fuller accounting of the FDA’s decision-making processes for the approval and labeling of opioid drugs. The meeting follows a March 2019 letter from Senators Hassan and Ed Markey (D-MA) to former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb outlining a number of specific questions about the FDA’s actions regarding the opioid crisis.

“Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb conceded that the FDA made mistakes regarding the opioid crisis and pledged to learn from these mistakes, yet the FDA has still yet to provide an adequate accounting of its decision-making processes for the approval and labeling of opioid drugs, let alone take concrete steps to make changes moving forward. I appreciated the opportunity to speak with Acting Commissioner Sharpless about the FDA’s actions regarding the opioid crisis and his commitment to getting us responses to the questions that Senator Markey and I outlined earlier this year. I look forward to receiving that information and I will keep pushing the FDA to ensure that the agency’s approval and labeling decisions protect public health and safety.”

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