The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's medical device division has resigned, a move welcomed by consumer health advocates.
Daniel Schultz, who announced Tuesday that he'll leave his post, has been under a cloud since earlier this year when nine scientists in his division alleged they'd been pressured to approve medical devices against their professional judgment, the Associated Press reported.
In a letter to agency staffers obtained by the AP, Schultz said he and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg agreed his resignation "would be in the best interest of the center and the agency."
Shultz led the medical device division for five years. Associate Commissioner Jeff Shuren will serve as interim director for devices until a permanent replacement is found, Hamburg said.
"This change in leadership will bring hope to many patients who have been very concerned about the safety of medical devices," Dr. Diana Zuckerman, of the National Research Center for Women and Families in Washington, D.C., told the AP.