Senate to vote on FDA pick dogged by financial questions

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate is on track to confirm Dr. Scott Gottlieb as the head of the Food and Drug Administration.

Senators are slated to vote Tuesday on the nomination of Gottlieb. He's a physician-turned-health consultant who has criticized many FDA regulations as unnecessary. But he says the opioid crisis will "require dramatic action." He favors better treatment and the development of non-addictive painkiller alternatives. He says he's a cancer survivor who understands the importance of the FDA.

Democratic senators focused on Gottlieb's finances, citing government data showing he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting or other fees from several FDA-regulated companies in recent years. That was on top of income from positions in a venture capital firm and investment bank that also fund health companies.