Washington, Nov 12 (AP) President Joe Biden on Friday is tapping former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert Califf to again lead the powerful regulatory agency, according to a person familiar with the decision.

Califf's nomination comes after months of the concern that the agency near the center of the government's COVID-19 response has lacked a permanent leader.

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More than a half-dozen names were floated for the job before the White House settled on Califf.

Biden is to make the formal announcement later Friday, said the person familiar, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement.

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A cardiologist and clinical trial specialist, Califf served as FDA commissioner for the last 11 months of President Barack Obama's second term.

Before that, he spent one year as the agency's No. 2 official after more than 35 years as a researcher at Duke University, where he helped design studies for many of the world's biggest drugmakers.(AP)

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