ENZI TO HOLD HEARING ON FDA COMMISSIONER NOMINATIONS

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) will hold a hearing next week on the Bush administration's nomination of Andrew von Eschenbach to be the next FDA commissioner, even though Democratic opponents are promising to continue their hold of the nominee, congressional aides said.

Enzi, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee chairman, announced July 25 that he would move forward with all pending nominations on Aug. 1. These nominations will include von Eschenbach, spokespersons for Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the committee's ranking member, and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said. Enzi's office would only verify that all pending nominations would be considered during the hearing.

However, Murray and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) are continuing to promise to hold the nomination once it passes out of committee, Murray's spokeswoman Alex Glass said. The lawmakers have pledged to hold up the nomination until the FDA sets a timeline for deciding whether to grant Barr Laboratories' application to sell the Plan B contraceptive OTC. But there has been no progress on this dispute, she added.

Murray is currently considering what steps to take to respond to the upcoming hearing. (http://www.fdanews.com/did/5_145/)