Thus far in 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
approved 20 new drugs, just one less than the 21 it approved for all of
2010. At this pace, the agency is likely to approve more new types of
drugs this year than the previous few years. Testifying before the House
Energy and Commerce Committee's health subcommittee, Janet Woodcock,
director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, informed
lawmakers of FDA drug approvals in response to concerns that FDA may be
slowing down the pace of drug approvals due to increased safety
concerns. Woodcock testified that FDA meets more than 90% of drug-review
deadlines, first-cycle approvals are at a 20-year high and more than
two-thirds of new drugs are approved within the six-to-10-month
timeframes for New Drug Applications.
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