FDA Names New Top Drug Regulator

Dr. Richard Pazdur is the new director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary in Washington on July 29, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Nov. 11 that Dr. Richard Pazdur, who had been in charge of regulating cancer drugs, will be the new director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

Pazdur has worked at the FDA for 26 years and is the founding director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence.