FDA names former pharmaceutical company executive to oversee US drug
program
[July 22, 2025]
By MATTHEW PERRONE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday named a
longtime pharmaceutical executive to run the agency’s drug program, the
latest in a string of leadership changes at the agency.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced that Dr. George Tidmarsh, a
cancer and pediatric specialist, will direct the agency’s Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research, which regulates the safety and
effectiveness of all U.S. drugs.
His appointment comes a month after the center’s acting director, Dr.
Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, announced her retirement.
As the agency's top drug regulator, Tidmarsh will be charged with
following through on a number of commitments made by Makary and his
boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including reviewing the
safety of the abortion pill mifepristone. The FDA is also scrutinizing
certain uses of other long-established drugs, including antidepressants
and hormone-replacement drugs for menopause.
Tidmarsh founded and led several pharmaceutical companies, including
Horizon Pharmaceuticals, maker of an anti-inflammatory medication for
arthritis. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Stanford
University.
The FDA's drug center is the agency's largest unit, with nearly 6,000
staffers responsible for reviewing the safety and effectiveness of new
drugs and monitoring the use and marketing of older drugs.
About 2,000 FDA staffers have been laid off as part of widescale cuts to
the federal health workforce overseen by Kennedy. More than 1,000 others
have taken buyouts or early retirement, while many others are reportedly
searching for new jobs. The departures have threatened basic FDA
operations, including the timely review of new drugs.
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The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey
Building Auditorium in Washington, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP
Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
 FDA's drug center hasn’t had a
permanent director since January, when Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni
stepped down days before President Donald Trump took office.
Nearly all of the FDA’s senior leadership positions have turned over
in recent months, either due to retirements, resignations or actions
by administration officials placing them on administrative leave.
FDA center directors typically hold their positions for years or
even decades, serving across multiple administrations, whether
Republican or Democrat.
In May, Makary named Dr. Vinay Prasad, a prominent critic of the
FDA’s COVID response, to run the agency’s vaccine center. He was
also named to the post of FDA chief medical officer. Prasad joined
the agency after his predecessor, longtime vaccine chief Dr. Peter
Marks, was forced out in March.
The head of FDA’s tobacco center was also forced to step down in
April. A permanent replacement has not yet been named.
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