Dr. Califf was confirmed by a 50-46 vote, making him the first permanent FDA leader under President Joe Biden, according to the Senate Press Gallery Twitter page.
Dr. Califf, a cardiologist, previously was FDA commissioner under the Obama administration from 2016-17.
After leaving the FDA, Dr. Califf joined Google parent company Alphabet in 2017 as an adviser before moving up the organization’s ranks as head of strategy and policy for Alphabet’s Verily Life Sciences and Google Health divisions by November 2019.
Dr. Califf also previously served as deputy commissioner of the FDA’s Office of Medical Products and Tobacco.
He was nominated to serve again as FDA commissioner in November 2021.
Several advocacy groups and former FDA commissioners endorsed his nomination. However, he faced opposition from some lawmakers over his financial ties to drug companies, as well as the FDA’s handling of the opioid crisis under his watch, CNBC reported.
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