WASHINGTON (AP) — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is stepping down after nearly two years leading the agency's response to a host of public health challenges, including the opioid epidemic, rising drug prices and underage vaping.

Gottlieb cited "the challenge of being apart from my family" in Connecticut when announcing his departure Tuesday in a note to FDA staff. He'll leave next month.

President Donald Trump tapped Gottlieb in 2017 to "cut red tape" at the FDA. But Gottlieb bucked expectations by pushing the agency to expand its authorities in several key ways, incl...