Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who directed tobacco regulation since the agency was handed the task in 2009, will step down in March, various media reported.

Hamburg is one of the longest serving FDA commissioners and said her departure was her own decision prompted in part by heavy demands of the job and her longevity in the job, said Reuters. Robert Califf, appointed in late January as FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco, is considered a favourite to replace Hamburg, the news agency said.
Stephen Ostroff, the agency’s chief scientist, will become interim commissioner until a successor is chosen, according to Reuters.