Archive · 12 Nov 2025
FDA Appoints Cancer Specialist Pazdur to Lead Drug Center
The FDA, which makes sure medicines are safe and work, has a new boss for its biggest medicine department.
This new boss is Dr. Richard Pazdur, who has worked at the FDA for a long time and knows a lot about cancer drugs.
He is taking over because the last director left after some problems with his behavior.
The department Dr. Pazdur is now leading has lost many workers and has low morale.
He will be in charge of approving new medicines and will also work on new plans to approve important drugs much faster.
Some people worry that approving drugs too quickly might not be safe, but Dr. Pazdur has a history of helping new cancer treatments get to patients faster.
Dr. Richard Pazdur, a cancer specialist with 26 years at the FDA, has been appointed director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Pazdur replaces Dr. George Tidmarsh, who departed following an ethics complaint and a review of his conduct.
The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has experienced significant staff turnover, with over 1,000 employees leaving in the past year.
Pazdur's responsibilities include bringing stability to the unit, addressing morale issues, and implementing new initiatives for faster drug reviews.
Pazdur's prior work expediting cancer drug approvals based on early data has drawn criticism from some academics.
- Who
- Dr. Richard Pazdur
- What
- Named Director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- When
- Tuesday
- Where
- Washington
- Why
- To replace the recently ousted former director, Dr. George Tidmarsh, and bring stability to a unit facing low morale and staffing issues.
Pazdur's Expedited Approval Approach
Critics of Expedited Approval
Expediting Cancer Drug Approvals
Pazdur's Expedited Approval Approach
Pazdur previously oversaw efforts to expedite the approvals of experimental cancer therapies based on early measures, such as tumor shrinkage.
Critics of Expedited Approval
This approach has been criticized by many in academia, including Dr. Vinay Prasad, who has scrutinized the FDA's approach to cancer medicines.
- Appointee
- Dr. Richard Pazdur
- Position
- Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
- Agency
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Pazdur's Experience
- 26-year veteran of the FDA, former leader of the Oncology Center of Excellence
- Previous Director
- Dr. George Tidmarsh
- Reasons for Departure of Previous Director
- Ethics complaint, review of 'serious concerns about his personal conduct'
- Staffing Losses at CDER
- Over 1,000 staffers over the past year