FDA ’ s ‘ Botox police ’ chief Karavetsos to step down

FDA Office of Criminal Investigations director George Karavetsos will step away from the agency to take up a position at a private law firm, according to an internal announcement. Karavetsos drew fire last year for allegedly forcing members of the criminal investigations office to pursue mislabeled foreign-imported injectable drug cases at the expense of issues more important for protecting public health. The debacle earned the department under Karavetsos lead the label of “Botox police.” Karavetsos became director of the 280-person operation in Jan. 2015, and his last day is scheduled for Jan. 20. His exit was announced Tuesday by regulatory affairs associate commissioner Melinda Plaisier and global regulatory operations and policy deputy commissioner Howard Sklamberg, who said Karavetsos “has delivered an exceptional body of work, leading noteworthy and important change in OCI.” Karavetsos and the department he led have been under significant scrutiny over the past year. Last September a U.S. House committee launched a probe of the FDA’s criminal office, raising questions about the unit’s management and handling of cases involving devices, food and drugs. The U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee told FDA commissioner Dr. Robert Califf that it’s “examining management concerns” and “possible morale concerns with the field offices” of the federal safety watchdog’s Office of Criminal Investigations. The group asked...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Tags: Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Source Type: news