The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the appointment George Tidmarsh as the new director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
Tidmarsh brings more than 30 years of experience in biotechnology, clinical medicine and regulatory science to the role, having led the successful clinical development of seven FDA-approved drugs.
He has served as founder and chief executive officer of multiple biopharmaceutical companies, including Revelation Biosciences, Horizon Pharma and Metronome Therapeutics.
Tidmarsh was also the founding co-director of Stanford University’s Master of Translational Research and Applied Medicine programme, and has most recently been serving as an adjunct professor of paediatrics and neonatology at the university’s School of Medicine. He has also served on advisory boards across industry, academia, and government.
FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, described Tidmarsh as an “accomplished physician-scientist and leader whose experience spans the full arc of drug development”, adding that his appointment “brings exceptional scientific, regulatory and operational expertise to the agency”.
Makary also said he is looking forward to working with Tidmarsh to “strengthen [the FDA’s] drug review programmes, foster innovation and advance cross-agency initiatives that improve health outcomes for the American public”.