Posted by Michael Wonder on 09 Jan 2019
Can the record breaking number of FDA new drug approvals continue?
9 January 2019 - The late 1990s had been thought of as a golden-age for the drug industry.
In the five year period of 1996 – 2000, the FDA approved 183 new drugs (>36/year) many of them becoming foundational treatments in a number of areas including cardiovascular diseases (Lipitor, Diovan), HIV-AIDS (Crixivan, Norvir), respiratory diseases (Accolate, Allegra), cancer (Gemzar, Taxotere), GI disorders (Prilosec, Prevacid) and even erectile dysfunction (Viagra).
But, this period could be considered an aberration. In the early 1990s, the U.S. was in the midst of a “drug lag” in that new medicines were being approved abroad more quickly than here.
