The FDA Approvals of 2010

The FDA approved 21 new drugs last year--fewer than both 2009 and 2008. Among these approvals six are biologics and 15 are small molecule drugs.

The FDA didn't break any new drug approval records in 2010. According to data provided by Bloomberg, only 21 new drugs got the green light last year--fewer than both 2009 and 2008, when 25 and 24 were approved, respectively. However, 2010 was better than 2007, when regulators set the all-time low mark of 18 approvals.

Six biologics and 15 small molecule drugs passed FDA inspection last year. And it doesn't seem as if there will be many banner years in the future, as the FDA gets tougher with safety data and places new warnings on existing drugs. Unlike 2009, when several companies brought multiple new drugs to the market, no drugmaker in 2010 had more than one new drug approved. 

Source: fiercebiotech.com