Who's your pick for the next FDA chief? Nominate now, start voting next week

Before President-elect Joe Biden announces his own choice for the FDA top spot, Fierce Pharma wants to know what readers think. Who do you think is the best man or woman to serve as the nation’s next top drug regulator?

It’s not going to be an easy job—frankly, a few good candidates may even take a pass. On the horizon is the pressure to deal with more than a handful of possible COVID-19 vaccine and treatment decisions, fix a backlog of drug approvals and manufacturing inspections held up by pandemic delays, and shore up public trust amid accusations of politicized decision-making. A recent Science magazine article asserted that the drug watchdog has lost its bite.The new FDA commissioner will have to change that—and change the perception, too.

The Fierce staff has started a list, but we’d like some input. Between now and the end of the day Friday, email us your top choices—one or two or more—for the next FDA commissioner and we’ll add the best ones to the list.

Beginning Monday, we’ll start a tournament bracket with 16 potential commissioners. We’ll randomly select eight match-ups and ask readers to vote. Thursday, we’ll announce the eight winners and the next set of match-ups for voting. The field will continue to narrow the following Monday and Thursday. Then, on Monday, Dec. 21, we will announce our reader’s choice.

Along with votes, we’ll ask for comments on the contenders' qualifications and thoughts about your personal choices. We’ll publish some of the more noteworthy insights.

For now, let’s start lining up the contenders. Email [email protected], post on our LinkedIn page, ping us on Twitter—@FiercePharma—with your nominations. We'll look forward to hearing from you.