FDA Announces that Dr. Janet Woodcock Will Reprise Role as CDER Director

Earlier today, FDA announced that Dr. Janet Woodcock was appointed as the permanent director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (“CDER”).  The CDER directorship is a position familiar to Dr. Woodcock.  She served as CDER Director from 1994 to 2005.  Dr. Woodcock’s most recent position at FDA was as the Agency’s Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Commissioner.  She also served as Acting CDER Director since October 2007.  Over the past several years Dr. Woodcock played a leading role in FDA’s “Critical Path” Initiative, which is designed to improve the scientific basis for medical product development, and spearheaded the Agency’s pharmacogenomics initiative, among other things.