To replace Agnès Buzyn at the head of INCa, the board of the agency has just given a unanimous favorable opinion for the candidacy of Prof. Norbert Ifrah, hematologist in Angers.
Agnès Buzyn, 53, left the presidency last March of the National Cancer Institute (INCa), which she occupied since 2011. And more than two months after taking up her post at HAS (1), in charge of deciding medical practices, we finally know who will replace her at the head of the state agency for health and scientific oncology expertise. Responsible for coordinating actions against cancer, the Institute is placed under the joint supervision of several ministries.
According to theMedical Press Agency (APM), the Board of INCa issued a unanimous favorable opinion on Monday for the candidacy of Prof. Norbert Ifrah. Aged 61, he is currently head of the hematology service at the Angers University Hospital (Maine-et-Loire). The latter will not arrive in unknown territory since he was already sitting on the board of directors of INCa as a representative of the Hospital Federation of France (FHF). He is, moreover, researcher and former President of the Establishment Medical Commission (CME) from his university hospital, and recognized as an excellent doctor in his field, according to his colleagues.
The hearing before Parliament, the final step
But before taking office, The cross recently recalled that Professor Ifrah will have to be heard by the Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly and the Senate. To explain this latency in the appointment process, the daily revealed the difficulty the agency encountered in finding an expert without conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry. As such, he reported that the world of hematology has weaker relationships with industry, compared to oncology where they are very strong.
(1) Haute Autorité de Santé
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