Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration who resigned as head of the agency in April, has gone back to his old job: he has been rehired at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as a special partner on its healthcare investment team, according to MedCity News. Gottlieb had previously served as venture partner at NEA from 2007 until 2017, when he was appointed as FDA commissioner.
Following his resignation, Gottlieb said he planned to go back to another prior position, as a fellow at conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Ned Sharpless, former director of the National Cancer Institute, is currently serving as acting FDA commissioner.
Gottlieb's two years away from NEA are sure to provide the firm with a lot of benefits, as he returns with significant experience in regulatory matters, MedCity News says. He oversaw the FDA's approval of the first CAR-T cell therapies for cancers, the first gene therapy, and the first RNA-interference therapy.
"Throughout his prior 10-year tenure at NEA, Scott's broad expertise was a tremendous asset for our healthcare practice and portfolio companies," David Mott, general partner and head of healthcare investing at NEA, tells FierceBiotech. "We are proud of his contributions to advancing innovation and increasing the quality of patient care as head of the FDA, and we're thrilled to have him re-join NEA, this time as a full-time investing partner. Scott will be based in our Chevy Chase, Maryland, office and will be an active investor across the full spectrum of our healthcare activities, with a particular emphasis on biopharma and healthcare services."
The article also notes that Gottlieb plans to use his time at AEI to focus on the issue of rising drug costs.