Last year turned out to be a disappointing one for new drug approvals with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearing just 22 new medicines for sale, the lowest number since 2010 and sharply down on 2015’s tally of 45.
Across the Atlantic, the European Medicines Agency recommended 81 new prescription products against a 2015 total of 93. Unlike the FDA, the EMA includes generic drugs in its list.
The slowdown suggests the pharmaceuticals industry may be returning to more normal productivity levels after a spike in approvals in 2014 and 2015, when the haul of new drugs reaching the market hit a 19-year high.