Man Who Made a Difference With Strong Hand at FDA

David Kessler is entitled to a rest. In six years as head of the Food and Drug Administration he has worked under two presidents, one a Democrat and one a Republican, and Democratic and Republican congresses. He has been both vilified and lionized for pushing his agency to the forefront on issues such as tobacco, breast implants and the safety of food and drugs. Indeed, Kessler’s leadership of the often embattled agency has been so forceful that one is hard-pressed to recall his predecessors.

Kessler, a pediatrician and lawyer, announced his resignation Monday, saying he had reached most of his objectives and had “tried to make a difference.” That he has done.

Within months of taking office in 1991, Kessler launched a campaign to clarify and improve food labeling. Those efforts culminated in 1994 in the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. His concern with food safety was again demonstrated in the stringent quality control standards imposed on seafood processors in 1993.

In the area of pharmaceuticals, Kessler cracked down on drug companies promoting product uses unapproved by the FDA. He completed safety reviews of many medical devices already on the market and sped up the approval process for new drugs and medical devices.

Since 1995, Kessler’s profile has been highest on the issue of underage smoking and the wink and nod with which the FDA historically treated cigarette manufacturers. Because seven out of 10 teenagers who start smoking will be unable to stop, Kessler labeled teen tobacco use a pediatric disease and cigarettes a nicotine delivery system. He convincingly argued that the agency should have the authority to restrict minors’ access to tobacco products, and he was the architect of President Clinton’s regulatory initiative, announced last summer, that would prohibit the sale of cigarettes to those under 18, restrict vending machine sales and severely curtail advertising targeted on teenagers. Although those rules face a court challenge from the industry, they have drawn broad public support.

Kessler restored the Food and Drug Administration to what it was meant to be--an aggressive advocate for the public’s health. The task for President Clinton will be to find a successor committed to building on this record, not running from it. The public support for Dr. David Kessler’s aggressive management should point the way for Congress as well.