Overview
- HHS placed Tidmarsh on administrative leave Friday after the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Inspector General were alerted to serious conduct concerns, and he resigned Sunday.
- Aurinia filed suit in federal court in Maryland alleging defamation and claiming Tidmarsh targeted the company over a longstanding dispute involving board chair Kevin Tang.
- The complaint points to a September LinkedIn post in which Tidmarsh said Aurinia’s kidney drug had not shown direct clinical benefit, after which the stock fell about 20%, erasing more than $350 million in value.
- Tidmarsh later deleted the post, said he wrote it in a personal capacity rather than as an FDA official, and denies any wrongdoing.
- He alleges the actions against him were retaliatory for criticizing a new expedited review approach and for challenging FDA official Vinay Prasad, as the FDA’s drug center grapples with heavy turnover and recent leadership turbulence.