Key to FDA’s COVID-19 drug reviews, Farley becomes permanent OID director

John Farley has been named permanent director of the Office of Infectious Diseases at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. He has been serving as acting director since the departure last August of Edward Cox, who stepped down to join Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) as VP of regulatory affairs. The appointment comes at a critical time as FDA prepares to review applications seeking approval of therapies treating COVID-19.

For the past few months, Farley has been supervising the review of pre-IND and IND submissions, while at the same time providing FDA leadership to external consortia focused on finding COVID-19 therapeutics. More than 560 therapies and vaccines are in development for COVID-19, according to BioCentury’s COVID-19 Research Center...