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# FDA Not Heading in a New Direction: Sharpless
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fda-not-heading-in-a-new-direction-sharpless/
- Published: 2019-04-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T01:20:30.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5143881

Acting FDA commissioner **Ned Sharpless** has reassured agency staff that the change in leadership from **Scott Gottlieb** to him does not reflect a desire of President **Donald Trump** or HHS secretary **Alex Azar** to have the agency go in a different direction. Speaking 4/16 at his first “all-hands” staff meeting, Sharpless [said](https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Speeches/ucm636110.htm?ref=fdaweb.com) “Secretary Azar and the White House have been very clear with me that they have been impressed with FDA’s efforts and would like to see this strong progress continue. Moreover, there is great support for FDA’s mission in Congress. This support is positive and bipartisan…. So let me reassure you \[that\] I am not planning any radical changes from what FDA has been trying to accomplish.”

In his remarks, Sharpless said the two guiding principles he and the agency will follow are a commitment to science-based decision-making and prioritizing efforts for the benefit of the public health.

He also indicated that while his position title may be acting commissioner, he is not acting as if this is a temporary or part-time job. “I plan to maintain FDA’s current course of action in every area and proceed full speed ahead,” he declared.

Some of the initial impressions he gained in one week on the job, he said, involve how large and diverse the FDA staff is, how good the agency already is as a place for women to work in science and medicine, how broad the agency’s portfolio is, and acknowledgment of some of the challenges facing FDA, including the need to continue to hire and retain a talented and diverse workforce.

Sharpless told the staff he will be highlighting his public health priorities in the coming weeks.