HHS plans new FDA deputy commissioner roles for technology and drugs, sources say 

The logo for the Food and Drug Administration is seen ahead of a news conference at the Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, April 22, 2025.Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe Department of Health and Human Services is planning to create two new deputy commissioner roles at the Food and Drug Administration, one of which would focus on technology and the intersection of health and artificial intelligence, CNBC has learned. The other new position is for a deputy commissioner for drugs, according to two sources familiar with the plan. The agency already has several deputy commissioners, including an acting deputy commissioner for food, though it is unclear who will step into that role permanently.HHS officials would appoint the new leaders in what some in the Trump administration view as a bid to exert greater influence over the agency, according to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly. No final decisions or formal announcements about the new roles have been made, the sources said.Jared Seehafer, a senior advisor to the FDA and medical devices industry veteran, is the leading candidate for the technology r...