Diana Zuckerman, PhD, president of the consumer-oriented National Center for Health Research, said Dr Hamburg understands the agency's public health mission, unlike some of her predecessors, who were focused more on speedy approvals and less on protecting the public from harmful or ineffective products.
"I think she has been an important voice for safety and trying to maintain that balance," Dr Zuckerman told Medscape Medical News. . . .
"I think Hamburg's resignation is a real loss, . . .
In contrast to Dr Zuckerman's overall assessment of Dr Hamburg, the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen gave the outgoing FDA commissioner a poor review.
"Her pending resignation ends a 6-year period of weak and ineffective leadership," said Michael Carome, MD, director of the group's health research group. . . .