Old FDA Commissioner becomes new FDA Commissioner after close Senate vote

The US Food and Drug Administration will have a new leader, after the Senate confirmed Robert Califf in a tight vote, 50 to 46, which exposed political divisions over a range of healthcare issues.

Dr Califf should be able to hit the ground running, having served as FDA Commissioner already, under Barack Obama, from February 2016 until January 2017.

As well as ongoing controversy around actions to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the appointment has surfaced partisan rancour around hot button topics such as abortion drug rules.