US plans to appoint two new FDA deputy commissioners for tech and drugs, CNBC reports

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is reportedly set to appoint two new deputy commissioners at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to CNBC. One position will focus on technology, encompassing healthcare and AI, while the other will oversee drug approvals, sources with knowledge of the plans suggest. However, no final decisions have been made and the agency has not officially announced the appointments.

Jared Seehafer, a leading candidate for the technology role, is under consideration, though the report did not reveal who was chosen for the drugs deputy commissioner role. The FDA is under the leadership of President Donald Trump's appointee, Heidi Overton, who was recently named to the position. Overton's appointment is awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The previous FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, resigned in May amid controversies surrounding flavored vapes, a stalled abortion-pill safety study, and disputes with pharmaceutical companies over the review of potentially life-saving medicines and vaccines. Kyle Diamantas had been serving as acting FDA chief since May, during which time the agency reversed course on several drug approvals and reopened regulatory considerations for rare-disease therapies.