Even after he originally said that he wasn’t interested in the job, Richard Padzur, M.D., a long-time (26-year!) veteran of the FDA, was named Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. As the founding director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and in his tenure leading the Oncology Division, Dr. Padzur has been an innovator in speeding promising oncology drugs to market.
In this surprise turnaround of events, Dr. Padzur said, “I’m honored to lead CDER at a time when the FDA is achieving long-sought regulatory reforms. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Makary and the medical experts he’s assembled to help our country reach its peak in drug development.”
His selection will be welcomed by FDA insiders as well as industry as there will be someone in place with intimate knowledge of the workings of the FDA and significant historical knowledge of CDER specifically. I’m certain he will garner immediate support from all CDER staff as he settles into his new role. The FDA said, “Dr. Pazdur will continue to serve as director of the Oncology Center of Excellence until a successor is named.” It’s great to see a well-respected, long-time FDAer selected for such an important Agency position.
