By Stephanie Desmon and Matthew Hay Brown and , stephanie.desmon@baltsun.com and matthew.brown@baltsun.com|December 16, 2008
Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, Baltimore's outspoken health commissioner, is regarded by many as a leading candidate to head the Food and Drug Administration.
Sharfstein is a former congressional staffer who carved out a national profile by convincing drug companies to stop marketing cough and cold medicines to young children. The 39-year-old pediatrician has been spending two days a week in Washington lately as one of a handful of people reviewing health policies for President-elect Barack Obama's transition team. And he is being pushed for the FDA commissioner's position by members of Maryland's congressional delegation.
"He's a young, bright guy who is just the type of person Senator Obama surrounds himself with," said Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin. He said Sharfstein would restore "the traditional functions" of the FDA "in protecting the public and being aggressive and looking at new ways to do that."
Cardin and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski have both communicated their support of the Harvard-educated physician to the transition team, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings says he plans to. All three are Democrats.
Sharfstein came to Baltimore in 2005 after four years as a health policy adviser to Rep. Henry A. Waxman. Waxman, a California Democrat with close ties to the incoming Obama administration, will take over the House committee that oversees the FDA in January.
Sharfstein wouldn't comment yesterday on the speculation. "I love my job and I'm looking forward to another year of public health progress in the city," he said.
Sources close to the situation say no decision is imminent. Former Sen. Tom Daschle was named last week as Obama's choice to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is part of his department.
"He comes with his own reputation within the Obama team," Cardin said. "It's not like he's an unknown quantity. And he has other support on Capitol Hill. He has significant contacts to the Obama administration. What I don't know is who the competition is and what the team is looking for."
On blogs and in the press, Sharfstein is routinely mentioned on a short list of likely contenders for FDA commissioner. According to the Wall Street Journal, others being talked about are Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Steve Nissen, Duke University's Robert Califf, food and drug lawyer Frank Sasinowski and Janet Woodcock, head of FDA's drug center.
