In the final years of his life, Drda was the editor-in-chief of "Svět práce" (), which he founded in 1968. Drda fell out of favour after condemning the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and the subsequent occupation, and was expelled from the Communist Party. He died on November 28, 1970 in Dobříš and was buried at a local cemetery. His funeral was attended by about two thousand people.