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Ellen Sigal and Karen Knudsen “gush” about new CDER Director Richard Pazdur and his late wife, Mary
Last week, Richard Pazdur was named to the position of director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Much has been written about how Pazdur, with nearly a three-decade long career at the agency, represents a stabilizing choice for FDA as it faces inner and outer turmoil.
Indeed, on this week’s episode of In the Headlines, we bring you the full audio of a conversation originally published in print in last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter between Ellen Sigal, chair and founder of Friends of Cancer Research, and Karen Knudsen, CEO of the Parker Institute for Immunotherapy, about how Pazdur is a great choice for the position—and the agency.
“We're not gushers,” Sigal said. “That’s what’s so funny about this. All of us can be quite critical.”
“Now we know, the three of us can gush. We've proven ourselves capable,” Knudsen said.
An important piece of this conversation that has not been highlighted elsewhere is the role of Pazdur’s late wife, Mary, in his personal and professional success.
“She was his rock. She was his conscience, she was able to work with him, understand him, guide him, and for sure tell him when he was wrong,” Sigal said. “That ability to have someone you trust that isn't just admiring you, that is your partner and your best friend and the trust that he had, and Mary would always speak her mind.
“I admired that woman so much. She was just a gift from heaven. I don't know how, tears come to my eyes when I think of her right now. She was extraordinary, and I think she helped him, and we need to give her the credit for what Rick became.”
In death, Mary Pazdur continued to inform Rick’s work as a patient-oriented regulator.
“He knows personal loss. He knows what it means. He's very empathetic to patients and the real-world patient that is struggling every single day,” Sigal said. “Every decision is never going to be exact, and he has to be able to take risks, and he understands those that are important to patients. We can't ever forget in the back of his mind—not only what he went through, but he understands this instinctively—that he's protecting and helping patients.”
Stories mentioned in this podcast include:
Richard Pazdur, a respected insider with a plan to reengineer FDA, steps in as CDER director
Rick Pazdur’s CDER appointment comes at exactly the right moment for FDA
FDA to remove black box warnings on hormone therapy for menopause
Smoldering multiple myeloma: Rethinking the waiting game
A transcript of this podcast is available: https://cancerletter.com/podcastc/20251119-pazdur/
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By The Cancer LetterLast week, Richard Pazdur was named to the position of director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Much has been written about how Pazdur, with nearly a three-decade long career at the agency, represents a stabilizing choice for FDA as it faces inner and outer turmoil.
Indeed, on this week’s episode of In the Headlines, we bring you the full audio of a conversation originally published in print in last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter between Ellen Sigal, chair and founder of Friends of Cancer Research, and Karen Knudsen, CEO of the Parker Institute for Immunotherapy, about how Pazdur is a great choice for the position—and the agency.
“We're not gushers,” Sigal said. “That’s what’s so funny about this. All of us can be quite critical.”
“Now we know, the three of us can gush. We've proven ourselves capable,” Knudsen said.
An important piece of this conversation that has not been highlighted elsewhere is the role of Pazdur’s late wife, Mary, in his personal and professional success.
“She was his rock. She was his conscience, she was able to work with him, understand him, guide him, and for sure tell him when he was wrong,” Sigal said. “That ability to have someone you trust that isn't just admiring you, that is your partner and your best friend and the trust that he had, and Mary would always speak her mind.
“I admired that woman so much. She was just a gift from heaven. I don't know how, tears come to my eyes when I think of her right now. She was extraordinary, and I think she helped him, and we need to give her the credit for what Rick became.”
In death, Mary Pazdur continued to inform Rick’s work as a patient-oriented regulator.
“He knows personal loss. He knows what it means. He's very empathetic to patients and the real-world patient that is struggling every single day,” Sigal said. “Every decision is never going to be exact, and he has to be able to take risks, and he understands those that are important to patients. We can't ever forget in the back of his mind—not only what he went through, but he understands this instinctively—that he's protecting and helping patients.”
Stories mentioned in this podcast include:
Richard Pazdur, a respected insider with a plan to reengineer FDA, steps in as CDER director
Rick Pazdur’s CDER appointment comes at exactly the right moment for FDA
FDA to remove black box warnings on hormone therapy for menopause
Smoldering multiple myeloma: Rethinking the waiting game
A transcript of this podcast is available: https://cancerletter.com/podcastc/20251119-pazdur/