George Tidmarsh Named CDER Director

By Katie Anderson, Chief Editor, Pharmaceutical Online

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the new Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) director to be George Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D. This announcement follows former acting director Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay’s announcement to retire. Prior to his appointment, Tidmarsh served as an adjunct professor of neonatology and pediatrics at Stanford University.

Tidmarsh has over 30 years of experience in biotechnology, clinical medicine, and regulatory science and has authored 143 scientific publications and patents. But Tidmarsh is no stranger to biotech, having previously founded Horizon Pharma and served as CEO of La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company. Tidmarsh has led the successful clinical development of seven FDA-approved drugs.

Tidmarsh earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in cancer biology from Stanford University, where he completed residency training in pediatrics. He went on to complete two subspecialty programs at Stanford, one in pediatric oncology and another in neonatology.

Tidmarsh was also the founding co-director of Stanford’s Master of Translational Research and Applied Medicine (M-TRAM) program, which bridges academic research and clinical application by training students and researchers to translate scientific discoveries into real-world medical solutions.

“Dr. Tidmarsh is an accomplished physician-scientist and leader whose experience spans the full arc of drug development—from bench to bedside,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “His appointment to lead CDER brings exceptional scientific, regulatory, and operational expertise to the agency. I look forward to working with him to strengthen our drug review programs, foster innovation, and advance cross-agency initiatives that improve health outcomes for the American public.”