Elizabeth Warren Robert Califf FDA Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (left) and FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Robert Califf (right)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, announced today that she has secured what she described as significant ethics commitments from FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Robert Califf.

In a letter dated Jan. 27 to Warren, Califf made several promises as he seeks to secure Democratic votes for his Senate confirmation:

  • He’ll recuse himself from matters involving his former employers and clients for four years, two years longer than what is required in the Biden administration’s ethics pledge.
  • He does not intend to seek a waiver from his recusals.
  • For four years after his tenure, he won’t seek employment or compensation — including board seats — from pharmaceutical and medical device companies he interacts with while he is commissioner.

“I intend to pursue opportunities in higher education to help educate the next generation of medical leaders. I have, and always will be, a physician and researcher first,” Califf said.

In making these commitments, Califf “has demonstrated a strong commitment to avoiding conflicts of interest and closing the revolving door between FDA and the industries it regulates,” Warren’s office said in a statement. A Warren spokesperson told Politico and The Hill that the senator plans to vote for Califf’s nomination.

A retired Duke University professor and senior advisor at Google’s life sciences sister company Verily, Califf previously won confirmation in a bipartisan 89-4 vote before serving as commissioner from 2016 to 2017 during the Obama administration.

However, he’s also faced criticism for his work as a drug company consultant — with some suggesting that his ties to the pharma industry are too close.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, has voiced opposition to confirming Califf. Manchin said in a Jan. 13 tweet: “It’s time the FDA had leadership willing to step forward to protect Americans from the drug epidemic that continues to ravage our nation. Dr. Califf is not that leader.”