Top FDA official quits amid inquiry into ‘serious concerns’ over his conduct

The head of the US Food and Drug Administration’s drug center abruptly resigned on Sunday after federal officials began reviewing “serious concerns about his personal conduct”, according to a government spokesperson.

Dr George Tidmarsh, who was named to the FDA post in July, was placed on leave on Friday after officials in the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) office of general counsel were notified of the issues, the HHS press secretary, Emily Hilliard, said in an email. Tidmarsh then resigned on Sunday morning.

Hilliard said the HHS secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, “expects the highest ethical standards from all individuals serving under his leadership and remains committed to full transparency”.

The departure came the same day that a drugmaker connected to one of Tidmarsh’s former business associates filed a lawsuit alleging that he made “false and defamatory statements” during his time at the FDA.

The lawsuit, brought by Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, alleges that Tidmarsh used his FDA position to pursue a “longstanding personal vendetta” against the chair of the company’s board of directors, Kevin Tang.

Tang previously served as a board member of several drugmakers where Tidmarsh was an executive, including La Jolla Pharmaceutical, and was involved in his ouster from those leadership positions, according to the lawsuit.

Messages placed to Tidmarsh and his lawyer were not immediately returned late on Sunday.

Tidmarsh founded and led a series of pharmaceutical companies over several decades working in California’s pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Before joining the FDA, he also served as an adjunct professor at Stanford University. He was recruited to join the agency over the summer after meeting with the FDA commissioner, Marty Makary.

Tidmarsh’s ouster is the latest in a string of haphazard leadership changes at the agency, which has been rocked for months by firings, departures and controversial decisions on vaccines, fluoride and other products.

Dr Vinay Prasad, who oversees FDA’s vaccine and biologics center, resigned in July after coming under fire from conservative activists close to Donald Trump, only to rejoin the agency two weeks later at the behest of Kennedy.

The FDA’s drug center, which Tidmarsh oversaw, has lost more than 1,000 staffers over the past year to layoffs or resignations, according to agency figures. The center is the largest division of the FDA and is responsible for the review, safety and quality control of prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

In September, Tidmarsh drew public attention for a highly unusual post on LinkedIn stating that one of Aurinia Pharmaceutical’s products, a kidney drug, had “not been shown to provide a direct clinical benefit for patients”. It is very unusual for an FDA regulator to single out individual companies and products in public comments online.

According to the company’s lawsuit, Aurinia’s stock dropped 20% shortly after the post, wiping out more than $350m in shareholder value.

Tidmarsh later deleted the LinkedIn post and said he had posted it in his personal capacity – not as an FDA official.

Aurinia’s lawsuit also alleges, among other things, that Tidmarsh used his post at the FDA to target a type of thyroid drug made by another company, American Laboratories, where Tang also serves as board chair.

The lawsuit, filed in Maryland’s US district court, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and “to set the record straight”, according to the company.