The head of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), George Tidmarsh, abruptly resigned Sunday after federal officials began probing concerns about his personal conduct.
Tidmarsh, a former biotech exec, was tapped to lead CDER by FDA commissioner Marty Makary back in July.
In September, Tidmarsh drew attention for an unusual LinkedIn post stating that one of Aurinia Pharmaceutical’s products, a lupus drug, had “not been shown to provide a direct clinical benefit for patients.” The post was later deleted.
Shortly after the post, Aurinia’s stock dropped 20%, causing the company to lose more than $350 million in shareholder value. Aurinia is now suing, alleging that Tidmarsh used his position at the FDA position to enact a personal vendetta against the chair of the company’s board of directors, Kevin Tang.
This past Friday, HHS placed Tidmarsh on administrative leave; two days later, The officially resigned.