The long-time FDA Oncology Center of Excellence director joins former FDA and NCI officials on the FOCR board of directors.
Richard Pazdur, the long-time head of the US Food and Drug Administration’s oncology review divisions, was elected to the board of the Friends of Cancer Research, one of the sector’s key advocates.
Pazdur, who left the FDA in December 2025 after 26 years at the agency, joins Janet Woodcock, former acting FDA Commissioner and Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director, as well as Monica Bertagnolli, former National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute director, on the board of the group, which advocates to advance regulatory science and accelerate patient access to innovative treatments.
FOCR made the announcement May 30, in the midst of the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, where the latest research on cancer treatment is announced.
Pazdur spent the vast majority of his FDA career working in the oncology space. He was the founding director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence.
In late 2025, then-FDA Commissioner Martin Makary convinced Pazdur to become CDER director. But Pazdur chose to retire after only a few weeks in the job.
Angelo de Claro replaced Pazdur as permanent OCE director in May.