Heidi Overton to promise faster biomedical research in opening remarks

WASHINGTON — In her opening statement for Thursday’s hearing before a key Senate committee, President Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Heidi Overton, plans to emphasize the need for speed and efficiency at the FDA to compete with China’s accelerating biotechnology industry. 

“President Trump’s direction for me in this role, should I be confirmed, is to ‘go fast.’” Overton says in the statement, an advance copy of which was obtained by STAT. “Slow and prohibitive requirements for cutting edge therapies at the FDA means investment is increasingly flowing to China who has found ways to do things faster and cheaper.” 

Overton says she is committed to continuing the work the administration began earlier this year to speed up the clinical trial process through Operation Trialblazer, and says that she will “work with the dedicated career professionals to make sure every aspect of clinical trials and drug development is optimized to get cures to patients faster and that every person at FDA shares those goals.”