At least you can count on the FDA

Last year, we all made a big deal about the FDA approving more drugs than it had in at least a decade. This year, the agency is on pace to set a new record.

According to Evaluate Pharma, the FDA has approved 53 novel therapies in 2018, and, with 11 decisions expected by the end of the year, could make it 64 before the end of December.

That’s certainly not bad news for the drug industry, but it’s worth noting that the number of annual approvals doesn’t tend to correlate with much of anything. Drugs are generally approved within 10 months of application, and because a calendar includes 12 months, that timeline makes for volatile totals from year to year. There were just 27 in 2016, for example, after 56 the year before.