The Man with the Plan

With endless energy, eagle-scout scruples and a head for headlines, David Kessler revives the battered FDA

The food and drug industry lawyers had heard it all before. Now, here was the freshly minted FDA commissioner, still wet behind the ears at 39, giving them the usual dose of tough talk. "Ladies and gentlemen," David Kessler began, "I am here today to tell you that I place a high priority on enforcing the law." The attorneys, convened in a Palm Beach hotel, nodded obligingly. "This is not the idle talk of a new commissioner," Kessler continued, to more polite nods. Then came the surprise. "Today the U.S. Attorney's office in Minneapolis is filing on FDA's behalf a seizure...

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