Dr. Stephen Hahn.

Hahn's departure was reported in the news media on January 19, and it was confirmed by the FDA in a tweet on January 20, the same day that President Joe Biden was sworn in. Woodcock is currently head of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

Hahn was nominated as FDA commissioner in November 2019 by then-President Donald Trump to replace Dr. Ned Sharpless of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, who had been running the FDA as acting commissioner since the departure of Dr. Scott Gottlieb earlier that year.

In 2020, Hahn was frequently scrutinized for COVID-19-related approvals. First, for granting emergency use authorization (EUA) to hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, which was ultimately revoked months later. Then, in August, Hahn again came under fire for comments he made in a press conference supporting the agency's approval of a blood plasma treatment for COVID-19.

Finally, as the November 2020 presidential election approached, Hahn came under severe pressure from the Trump administration to approve a COVID-19 vaccine before election day. That didn't happen, as it wasn't until December 10 that an FDA advisory committee gave its recommendation to approve the first vaccine, from Pfizer and BioNTech.

Woodcock is a seasoned FDA veteran and will run the agency until the Biden Administration appoints a permanent commissioner.

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