Week of January 14:
Only twice in the past three decades has the Food and Drug Administration approved fewer than the 18 it gave a thumbs up to in 2007. Compare that to 53 drugs in 1996. Oddly, the FDA said they hadn’t finished tallying numbers for the year and wouldn’t release its final statistics until March. Pipelines are dry indeed.
Also:
Staying with the FDA, Sen. Sherrod Brown says the Fast Track designation might not be working as intended, and fears it isn’t actually providing any benefit to consumers. A Cleveland Plain Dealer series found the designation, instead of providing access to drugs for serious diseases earlier, had served as a marketing tool for drug companies.
Check out this week’s corporate profile on Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a very interesting biotech thinking building a smart communications effort.