Mission Impossible? It’s sure to be tough at the top for new CTP science chief

The appointment of Matthew Farrelly as the next director of the Office of Science at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) comes at a potentially critical time for tobacco alternatives in the US, with a number of big calls for the agency to make, including the next step in its ongoing attempt to regulate Juul e-cigarettes.

Farrelly, an expert in tobacco control research, will take up the post on 26th March, tasked by the FDA with a key role in “the centre’s critical mission to protect Americans from tobacco-related disease and death”.