Full Breakdown
PhRMA Appoints Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as President and CEO
By Drooid · · How we work
PhRMA Announces New Leadership
On September 29, 2026 the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released a news statement that former U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will become its president and chief executive officer effective November 9, 2026. Cantor, who represented Virginia’s 7th congressional district from 2000 to 2014 and served as majority leader from 2011 to 2014, succeeds Stephen J. Ubl, who has led PhRMA since 2015. Ubl will remain a strategic adviser through mid-January 2027 to aid the transition.
Cantor’s Legislative and Business Background
During his congressional tenure Cantor backed the Medicare Part D prescription-drug program, supported funding for rare pediatric disease research, and helped pass the 21st Century Cures Act, which increased NIH funding and introduced Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reforms to accelerate medicine approvals. After leaving Congress, Cantor served as vice-chairman and managing director at global investment bank Moelis & Company.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Eric is well respected among policy leaders in Washington and around the world, with a long track record of working effectively across the political spectrum to achieve important outcomes that have a lasting impact,” — PhRMA Board, of Directors Chair Rob Davis
- “The Board looks forward to working with him to advance policies that strengthen American biopharmaceutical innovation and expand access to medicines for patients,” — Congress. Rob Davis, of directors chair
- “The American biopharmaceutical industry leads the world,” — Majority Leader Eric Cantor, president and chief
Upcoming Transition
Cantor’s appointment will be formalized on November 9, 2026, when he assumes day-to-day responsibility for PhRMA’s advocacy on behalf of its member biopharmaceutical companies.