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The Trump administration announced several senior positions across the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including naming Dr. Bret Koplow as Director of the Center for Tobacco Products.
The details: Koplow has been serving as the center’s acting director.
- He has served at FDA since 2011, including as Senior Counselor to the FDA Commissioner, where he focused on regulatory, policy, and operational matters involving tobacco products, and positions in the Office of the Chief Counsel and Office of Legislation.
Meanwhile: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for three health nominees this week — Chris Klomp to be deputy health secretary, Nicole Saphier to be surgeon general, and Timothy Westlake to be assistant secretary for mental health and substance use.
- In financial filings submitted last week, Saphier promised to sell off a slew of pharmaceutical and health care stocks, including holdings in several drugmakers, insurers, and three major tobacco companies — Altria Group, British American Tobacco, and Philip Morris International.
Published
September 2026