US FDA approves 35 new drugs in fiscal year 2012

An FDA report reveals strong performance in 2012 with regard to brand new drug approvals.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 35 new drugs in the fiscal year ending September 30th, new figures show.

An FDA report released on Wednesday (December 5th) revealed that the same number of drugs were given the green light in 2012 as in 2011, representing one of the highest levels of approvals in recent years.

According to the agency, the high rate of approvals - including drugs for cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV and weight loss - is partly due to the pharmaceutical industry speeding up the development of experimental drugs.

"Most of the drugs were approved for US patients before they were available in other countries, and the efficiency of the drug review process continued to grow," the report stated, according to Bloomberg News.

Last year, drugs given FDA approval included two new treatments for hepatitis C, a therapy for late-stage prostate cancer, and the first new drug for Hodgkin's lymphoma in 30 years.