Obama Officially Nominates Daschle as HHS Head

Chicago (Dec. 11)-President-elect Barack Obama officially nominated former Senator Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services and named him the Director of a new White House Office on Health Care Reform late last week. Dr. Jeanne Lambrew, of the University of Texas, will serve as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, according to a news release from the Office of the President-elect.

"The time has come … to modernize our healthcare system for the 21st century; to reduce costs for families and businesses; and to finally provide affordable, accessible health care for every American,” said Obama in the release.

Daschle has the support of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). He “has what it takes to do the job: smarts, toughness and a strong understanding of the healthcare challenges that face our nation in these tough economic times,” said PhRMA Chief Executive Officer Billy Tauzin in a Nov. 19 release.

The official nomination for the next commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration is still up in the air. Several candidates’ names have been mentioned (see related blog post on PharmTech Talk).