A year of two halves for US approvals

A slow start to US approvals translated into an only slightly disappointing 2022, as the pace of FDA green lights picked up in the second half and the year ended with 42 new drugs registered.

True, this was down on the 10-year average of 48, and on the remarkable 58 drugs the FDA had approved, despite the Covid pandemic, in 2021. But delays pushed decisions on at least six new projects into 2023. And on at least one metric last year did not disappoint: combined US sales of drug approved in 2022 are set to hit nearly $27bn within five years.