Yesterday Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg asking for the agency to provide information on former Johnson & Johnson executive Dr. Leona Brenner-Gati's role at the agency and the circumstances surrounding her resignation on May 3rd.
The letter points out a number of discrepancies, including that despite the fact that between February and April, Dr. Brenner-Gati was listed as the FDA's Acting Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco on the agency's public calendar, she was not scheduled for any significant meetings. Moreover, although Brenner-Gati's name remained on the public calendar into April, and the FDA's Office of Medical Products and Tobacco website still listed her as acting deputy commissioner when it was updated on March 22, the agency's organizational chart began listing the position as vacant on March 4, according to the letter. Reuters adds that FDA spokesperson Erica Jefferson declined to provide comment on the letter.
