A pattern in December drug approvals 

The end-of-year crunch to approve new drugs has an unintended consequence, according to a new study. Although more drugs are approved in December than any other time of the year, those drugs end up being more associated with hospitalizations and even deaths. 

“We see about twice as many adverse effects,” the Harvard Business School professor who has studied these patterns told the Wall Street Journal. Such surges aren’t exactly deadline-driven, but may happen when applicants rush at year’s end to complete their work. 

Interestingly, drugs that are approved with such such self-imposed deadline constraints end up being more likely to be withdrawn later, have a black box warning, or have dosages discontinued.