Corrigan-Curay announces retirement from CDER

The top official at the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) drug center is retiring after almost a decade at the agency.

On 23 June, Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, acting director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and its principal deputy director, announced that she will retire from FDA in July. In a letter to her CDER colleagues, Curay said that after spending time during a recent vacation reflecting on her future, she decided that it was time for her to move on to the next chapter of her life.

“This decision has been incredibly challenging, as I deeply value our collective achievements and recognize that no other place offers the opportunities to advance public health alongside such smart, talented, and supportive colleagues,” said Corrigan-Curay in the email seen by Focus. “What has made this decision so difficult for me is all of you. Your unwavering support, especially during recent challenging times, has been humbling. I do not want to let anyone down, but I believe I need to follow my instincts.”

Last week, BioCentury reported that Karim Mikhail, former CEO of Amarin Corporation, had been hired by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to serve as a senior adviser and is being considered as the next CDER director.

Corrigan-Curay began her career at FDA as CDER’s Director for the Office of Medical Policy (OMP) in October 2016. She eventually stepped into the role of acting CDER director when former CDER Director Patrizia Cavazzoni left in January.

Cavazzoni isn’t the only center director to have left FDA in recent months. Jeff Shuren, former director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) left the agency last year, and Peter Marks, former director of the Center for Biologics Research and Evaluation (CBER), exited the agency after clashing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. (RELATED: Shuren to leave FDA after 15 years as CDRH director, Regulatory Focus, 23 July 2024 and Marks resigns, blames Kennedy for spreading ‘misinformation and lies,’ Regulatory Focus, 31 March 2025).

Between 2006 and 2016, Corrigan-Curay worked for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most recently as the supervisory medical officer in the Immediate Office of the Director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). She also served as the director of the Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA) at the Office of Science Policy at NIH.

Corrigan-Curay announces retirement from CDER

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