After leaving the FDA, where she served as director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., is returning to her previous employer: Big Pharma Pfizer.
After leaving the federal agency in mid-January, Cavazzoni will take up spot as Pfizer’s chief medical officer and executive vice president, according to a Feb. 24 release.
The former CDER leader will succeed Aida Habtezion, M.D., who served as Pfizer’s CMO and head of worldwide medical and safety for four years, and will be leaving the pharma to "pursue other opportunities."
Cavazzoni is a seven-year FDA veteran who retired on Jan. 18, just two days before President Donald Trump stepped into office for his second term. In a little more than a month, Trump has made major cuts across several federal health agencies—including the FDA—in the name of government efficiency, resulting in thousands of layoffs.
After taking the top spot at CDER from Janet Woodcock, M.D., Cavazzoni led regulatory and policy decisions for prescription and over-the-counter medicines, with a focus on advancing public health initiatives.
Before CDER, Cavazzoni held several leadership roles at Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Sanofi. Previously at Pfizer, she led clinical sciences and development operations across multiple senior positions, according to the release.
Now, in her new role at Pfizer, Cavazzoni will report to Chief Scientific Officer and R&D head Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D.
The appointment is the latest in a string of leadership shakeups at the New York-based pharma, with Novartis’ Jeffrey Legos, Ph.D., selected to replace interim Chief Oncology Officer Roger Dansey, M.D., in the beginning of February.
Dansey, who has retired, had taken on the interim role after Pfizer’s former R&D head and Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., retired in November, triggering a domino effect of leadership changes. Former Chief Oncology Officer and Executive Vice President Boshoff took on Dolsten’s position at the start of 2025, with Dansey stepping into Boshoff’s old role.