Indian American could be FDA head under Trump

Indian-American biotech entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan is being considered for a role in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under President Donald Trump, the transition team said.

Mr. Srinivasan, who is currently CEO and co-founder of bitcoin startup 21.co, met Mr. Trump on Thursday. He and Jim O'Neill, who worked at the Department of Health under President George W. Bush, “are being considered for positions in the FDA”, incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said.

If appointed FDA Commissioner, Mr. Srinivasan will be the third Indian American to join the Trump administration after Nikki Hailey, who will be U.S. Ambassador to the UN, and Seema Verma, who will be administrator of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services. All three positions require confirmation by the Senate.

Mr. Srinivasan was introduced to Mr. Trump by PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who is also an investor in 21.co. Mr. Thiel, one of the rare Silicon Valley tech barons who supported Mr. Trump during campaign, has emerged as a key adviser to the President-elect. He also addressed the Republican National Convention (RNC) in July 2016, the first openly gay person to do so in the party’s history.

Mr. Trump has said his policies will force pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug prices and allow more competition in the sector. Mr. Srinivasan and Mr. Thiel have been critical of the FDA’s role in regulation.

Both parents of Mr. Srinivasan hail from Chennai. Mr. Srinivasan completed his electrical and chemical engineering PhD from Stanford. His first company Counsyl, a start-up he co-founded in a Stanford dormitory, pioneered preconception screening for couples planning pregnancy to predict the risk of a range of genetic diseases. He is also Board Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a $5.8 billion venture capital firm.