FDA names drug research chief

WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has selected Dr. Janet Woodcock to become the agency's director of drug evaluation and research.

The appointment by FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach followed a national search. Woodcock most recently served as the FDA's deputy commissioner and chief medical officer, as well as being the agency's acting director of drug evaluation and research since October.

"Dr. Woodcock's outstanding scientific credentials and historical knowledge of the complexities involved in drug safety and regulation make her uniquely qualified to oversee, as well as modernize the techniques, tools and methods used for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drugs throughout the product life-cycle," said von Eschenbach.

An internist and rheumatologist, Woodcock received her doctor of medicine degree from Northwestern Medical School and completed further training and had teaching appointments at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California-San Francisco.