Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
5d ago

FDA Names George Tidmarsh Director of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

He steps into the government’s largest drug safety unit at a time of deep workforce reductions under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

FILE - 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)
Image
Image

Overview

  • Dr. George Tidmarsh was appointed on July 21 as the permanent director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, filling a vacancy that dates back to January.
  • Tidmarsh brings decades of biotech leadership to the role, having founded Horizon Pharmaceuticals and served as an adjunct professor of pediatrics at Stanford University.
  • He will oversee safety reviews of major therapies, including the abortion pill mifepristone as well as long-established antidepressants and hormone treatments.
  • CDER employs nearly 6,000 reviewers but has shed over 3,000 staff through layoffs and buyouts under Kennedy’s leadership, raising concerns about drug approval timelines.
  • His industry background offers reassurance to pharmaceutical companies even as experts question the agency’s scientific capacity and its accelerated approval process.