Washington Editor

WASHINGTON - FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan on Monday released a prepared statement saying Jesse Goodman, currently the deputy director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), has been named director of CBER.

The announcement follows Kathryn Zoon's resignation as CBER director Friday. After serving in that post for 10 years, Zoon decided to join the National Cancer Institute as principal deputy of the Center for Cancer Research. (See BioWorld Today, Dec. 16, 2002.)

McClellan, who was recently appointed by President Bush, released a prepared statement saying, "Kathy Zoon has helped forge CBER into the world's premier biologic regulatory agency, the global leader in the development of vaccine, blood and novel therapeutics. NCI director Andrew von Eschenbach and I are convinced that the close FDA ties Dr. Zoon brings to her new post at NIH will enhance FDA's efforts to collaborate closely with NIH to bring safe and effective products to the market - one of my top priorities as FDA commissioner."

Goodman is a virologist who is board certified in internal medicine, oncology and infectious disease. He joined the FDA's Office of the Commissioner in 1998, where he directed the U.S. government's Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance. He later moved to CBER, where he has been active in clinical and public health issues including bioterrorism preparedness and response, product development, human subject protection and blood and vaccine safety, McClellan's statement said.

Zoon's resignation came months after Lester Crawford, the FDA deputy director who headed the agency before McClellan was named, transferred some regulatory responsibilities from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research to the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (See BioWorld Today, Sept. 9, 2002.)