Clinical Trials Headed for Revamp With Califf as FDA Head Pick (1)

President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the FDA could jolt the clinical trials enterprise toward long-sought changes aimed at easing research participation and improving the quality of evidence used to offer better patient care.

Robert M. Califf, if confirmed by the Senate, would return to head the agency during a public health crisis that has exacerbated the nation’s shortcomings, including those within a fragmented clinical trials system where just a handful of studies have yielded actionable results. Califf, senior adviser for Verily Life Sciences and Google Health, has been a vocal advocate for modernizing that system.

“There’s been a lot ...