Richard Pazdur, MD, Director of the Office of Oncology and Hematology Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was named one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune Magazine. The list also included names such as Pope Francis, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Roberts Jr, and Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Dr. Pazdur was praised by the publication for his effort to quicken the process of getting medications on the market and to patients. According to Fortune, “in 2014 the FDA approved the greatest number of novel [oncology] drugs in almost 20 years.” J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD, MACP, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, said under Dr. Pazdur’s leadership, “the FDA has been more responsive to the needs of cancer patients.”
Also featured in the rankings was Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fauci was lauded for his work on HIV/AIDS research and therapies, as well as for his advice to the American government and media during the Ebola crisis. ■
