Posted by Michael Wonder on 11 May 2017
Billions saved because FDA didn't rush approval of Alzheimer's drug
10 May 2017 - The U.S. FDA's decision not to rush approval for Eli Lilly's experimental Alzheimer's treatment solanezumab - a drug that turned out to be ineffective - may have saved American taxpayers as much as $100 billion over the past four years, an analysis concludes.
The analysis comes amid pressure on FDA to use less-strict standards in deciding whether a drug should be approved. Some agency critics have called on the government to approve all drugs that are not toxic and let market forces determine which are best.
"The issue right now in the national conversation is this push to approve drugs faster and faster at all costs," researcher Dr. Chana Sacks of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston told Reuters Health.
