The US Senate has voted Dr Robert Califf to head up the country’s Food and Drugs Administration. Califf was nominated by President Barack Obama and received an overwhelming majority, with 89 votes in favour of his appointment and just four dissenting.

A cardiologist and medical researcher at Duke University, Califf has served as the FDA’s number 2 for several years. Califf is now charged with continuing ongoing projects for the remaining year of Obama’s presidency, chief among them tobacco regulations, and food safety and labelling reforms.

“I look forward to working with Dr Califf to ensure the FDA can carry out every aspect of its critical mission; from ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the medical products we use to protecting the nation’s food supply and implementing its oversight of tobacco products, to furthering our efforts to combat opioid abuse,” commented US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M Burwell.