FDA names former pharmaceutical company executive to oversee US drug program

In this Aug. 2, 2018, file photo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) building is visible behind FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency's campus in Silver Spring, Md. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday named a longtime pharmaceutical executive to run the agency’s drug program, the latest in a string of leadership changes at the agency.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced that Dr. George Tidmarsh, a cancer and pediatric specialist, will direct the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, which regulates the safety and effectiveness of all U.S. drugs.

His appointment comes a month after the center’s acting director, Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, announced her retirement.