Dr. Richard Pazdur has filed paperwork to retire from the FDA weeks after he was named director of its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The US Food and Drug Administration’s longtime oncology chief has filed to retire from the agency just weeks after he was tapped to lead the FDA’s drug division, according to four people familiar with his decision.

Dr. Richard Pazdur was named director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on November 11, taking leadership of the FDA’s largest division after its former director, Dr. George Tidmarsh, abruptly resigned .

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement at the time that that Pazdur is a “a true regulatory innovator” and “an impressive forward-thinking scientist.”

Pazdur’s d

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