The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday it has appointed George Tidmarsh, a seasoned biotech executive and longtime Stanford University professor, as the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

George Tidmarsh appointed to lead FDA drug review division amid staffing cuts and scrutiny over accelerated approvals and drug advertising rules.

George Tidmarsh, a Stanford University physician who founded Horizon Pharma and later ran La Jolla Pharma, was named head of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.