Thirty-nine medicines for human use were recommended for marketing authorisationby the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in the first half of 2014, compared with 44 in first half of 2013 and 33 in first half of 2012.

This figure includes a number of new innovative medicines with the potential to meet unmet medical needs, treat diseases for which no treatments were previously available or bring significant added benefit to patients over existing therapies. Among these medicines are the anticancer medicines Mekinist (trametinib) and Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab), the anti-infectives Entyvio (vedolizumab) and Daklinza (daclatasvir), as well as Translarna (ataluren) and Sylvant (siltuximab), which are both intended for the treatment of rare hereditary conditions.

In parallel, the number of medicines recommended for approval via the European Unioncentralised procedure based on generic or informed consent applications has decreased compared with the first half of 2013 (6 versus 13).

For more details, go to: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2014/07/news_detail_002135.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1