FDA Names Veteran Oncologist Richard Pazdur To Lead Drug Center After Ethics Scandal Ousts George Tidmarsh

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has appointed Dr. Richard Pazdur as the new head of its drug center, succeeding Dr. George Tidmarsh, who was removed following an ethics complaint just months after his appointment.

Pazdur To Replace Tidmarsh

Pazdur, a 26-year veteran of the FDA, will take over as the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), the FDA’s largest unit. A cancer specialist, Pazdur has previously held various roles at the FDA, with his most recent position being the head of the agency’s Oncology Center of Excellence.

Tidmarsh resigned earlier this month, after being appointed at the FDA in July, amid the initiation of a review by federal ethics lawyers over serious concerns, reported Stat.

He has been accused of using his role to pursue a longstanding personal vendetta against Kevin Tang, the chair of the board at a Canadian pharmaceutical company.

President Donald Trump-appointed FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, in an interview with Politico Pro, had even defended the hiring of Tidmarsh back then.

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FDA Shake-Up As Pazdur Takes Key Role

The appointment of Pazdur comes at a crucial time for the FDA, which has been undergoing significant changes in its leadership and operations. Makary hailed Pazdur’s appointment and called him a “true regulatory innovator” on Tuesday.

Notably, Pazdur, in 2023, was a prominent voice to raise concerns about the increased use of AI in healthcare. He flagged potential inaccuracies when comparing non-randomized data sets. This is a sharp contrast to Makary’s recent push for aggressive use of artificial intelligence (AI) internally across all FDA centers.

Earlier in the year, there were concerns about the FDA’s ability to meet review timelines due to large personnel departures across the agency, including the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, amid DOGE firings. This was followed by the reinstatement of roughly a quarter of the initial layoffs at the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) in July.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.