FDA names longtime cancer scientist Pazdur to lead drug center
[November 12, 2025]
By MATTHEW PERRONE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday named a
longtime regulator of cancer medicines to lead the agency's drug center,
replacing the former drug director who was recently ousted after an
ethics complaint.
Dr. Richard Pazdur, a 26-year veteran of the agency, will become
director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the FDA's
largest unit. A cancer specialist, Pazdur has previously served in
numerous FDA roles, most recently leading the agency's Oncology Center
of Excellence.
Pazdur's appointment comes just over a week after Dr. George Tidmarsh
abruptly departed the agency after federal ethics lawyers began
reviewing “serious concerns about his personal conduct,” according to a
government statement. Tidmarsh, a former pharmaceutical executive and
scientist, had been recruited to the agency by FDA Commissioner Marty
Makary.
A lawsuit filed early this month alleged that Tidmarsh used his position
at the FDA to pursue a “longstanding personal vendetta” against the
chairman of a Canadian drugmaker's board of directors. The two men had
previously worked as business associates at several pharmaceutical
companies, according to the lawsuit.
Tidmarsh has denied any wrongdoing in media interviews. He did not
respond to requests for comment sent by The Associated Press to him and
his lawyer.
Pazdur is one of the last remaining members of the FDA’s senior
leadership to survive months of retirements, firings, resignations, and
other actions by the Trump administration that forced longtime employees
out of the agency.
[to top of second column]
|
 He'll be tasked with bringing
stability to a unit that has been riven by low morale,
return-to-office orders and turf battles with other parts of the
agency, including the vaccine and biologics center led by Dr. Vinay
Prasad.
The FDA’s drug center has lost more than 1,000 staffers over the
past year to layoffs or resignations, according to agency figures.
The center is responsible for the review, safety and quality control
of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Pazdur will also inherit several new initiatives announced by Makary,
including a voucher program that aims to review drugs that are
deemed a “national priority” in just one to two months. Previously,
the FDA's fastest drug reviews required six months.
As the FDA's top cancer specialist, Pazdur previously oversaw
efforts to expedite the approvals of experimental cancer therapies
based on early measures, such as tumor shrinkage. That approach has
been criticized by many in academia, including Prasad, who spent
years publishing papers scrutinizing the FDA's approach to cancer
medicines before joining the agency earlier this year.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
