Pazdur announced as FDA Oncology Center of Excellence Acting Director

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Pazdur as the acting director of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) last week.

"After a competitive internal search, I can think of no one more qualified to shepherd the agency into a new era of regulation over oncology products than the FDA’s own Dr. Richard Pazdur, who has led the FDA for nearly 20 years in reshaping and modernizing the review of cancer treatments," Califf said.

The OCE will bring together scientists, reviewers and oncologists to expedite development of new products and treatments for cancer. The OCE is the result of the Vice President's National Cancer Moonshot Initiative (Cancer Moonshot).

"The acting director of the OCE will also play a critical role serving as the central point of engagement for oncology stakeholders, including patient-focused advocacy groups, professional associations, industry, academia and sister agencies such as the National Institutes of Health," Califf said. "One of Dr. Pazdur’s charges in his acting role will be to facilitate and streamline this engagement and collaboration."

Pazdur's 20 years of experience in the FDA and expertise in cancer treatments will lead OCE through the initial phase. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) and Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) directors will work closely with Pazdur to develop and streamline the OCE to make it a central point for clinical review of drugs, biologics and medical devices for cancer treatment.