As reported from the kind folks over at lilypad ...
FDA Data on Cancer Drug Approvals
June 16th, 2011 | By: Greg Kueterman
Earlier today, the advocacy group Friends of Cancer Research released new data saying that treatments for cancer are reaching the U.S. market quicker than in Europe. In fact, according to the study, all 23 drugs submitted over a 7-year period reached the U.S. market first – generally by a margin of six months. You can read more about the report in a story published by Reuters.
Certainly this is good news in the battle against cancer. However, it’s important to keep the data in perspective. The new findings demonstrate the Food and Drug Administration’s intent to make new therapies available to cancer patients in a timely manner, but the FDA’s overall performance relative to Europe should include therapies beyond oncology. Making safe and effective innovative medicines accessible for patients as reasonably soon as possible — across all therapeutic areas — is extremely important. These patients, too, are priorities.
Most oncology drugs are priority rated — and priority rated drugs tend to be reviewed more quickly than other potential treatments. If we were able to compare other therapeutic areas, I suspect we would find different conclusions.
We should be encouraged by these findings. Now, we need to extend this trend with the renewal of PDUFA (Prescription Drug User Fee Act). By incorporating resources that can address the backlog of new drug applications, and developing a philosophy that balances benefits with risks in a systematic manner, we can see other therapeutic areas flourish in the same way as new cancer treatments.
