Drug development

The Food And Drug Administration reviews new drugs for approval much faster than it used to, but changes in the agency's standards have drawn questions.

Health & Safety

FDA Approves Drugs Faster Than Ever But Relies On Weaker Evidence, Researchers Find

11:45am January 14, 2020

by Sydney Lupkin

Changes in the way the Food and Drug Administration reviews new medicines means that there are more cures and treatments on the market. But there's also less proof the drugs are safe and effective.

Astrocyte cells like these from the brain of a mouse may differ subtly from those in a human brain.

Subtle Differences In Brain Cells Hint at Why Many Drugs Help Mice But Not People

4:36pm August 22, 2019

by Jon Hamilton

A detailed comparison of mouse and human brain tissue found differences that could help explain why mice aren't always a good model for human diseases.

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A study of chemotherapy medicines produced by 10 companies found that, on average, each drug produced seven times as much revenue for its manufacturer as it cost in research and development.

R&D Costs For Cancer Drugs Are Likely Much Less Than Industry Claims, Study Finds

4:33pm September 11, 2017

by Richard Harris

Industry says it costs about $2.7 billion to bring a cancer drug to market. But oncologists who ran the numbers put the average closer to $650 million. Drugs are priced way too high, the doctors say.

French pharmaceutical group Sanofi is expected to receive an exclusive license to market a new Zika vaccine.

States Fear Price Of New Zika Vaccine Will Be More Than They Can Pay

3:42pm May 30, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

The vaccine against Zika vaccine was developed by the Army, with the government paying for clinical trials, too. Health officials want to be sure drugmaker Sanofi Pasteur doesn't make it unaffordable.

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Most new drugs don't work when tested in people. One of the big reasons is the use of animals in research.

Drugs That Work In Mice Often Fail When Tried In People

10:50am April 10, 2017

by Richard Harris

Most potential new drugs don't work when tested in people. It's a major disappointment and it drives up the cost of developing new drugs. One big reason is the use of animals in medical research.

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Gilead Sciences Inc. makes the two leading drugs that can quickly cure hepatitis C infections. But most patients can't afford the expensive drugs, and states restrict their use among Medicaid patients.

Should The U.S. Government Buy A Drug Company To Save Money?

4:31pm March 17, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Most of the millions in the U.S. who are infected with hepatitis C can't afford the cure. Some say the U.S. could save money and cure more people if it bought the drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, is promoting a campaign to get the National Institutes of Health to exercise the patent rights it already owns in regards to certain drugs to bring down their price.

One Way To Force Down Drug Prices: Have The U.S. Exercise Its Patent Rights

5:44pm March 16, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Some members of Congress say the U.S. government should use the patent rights it owns for any drugs that were developed with federal grants to drive down the prices of those drugs.

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Medicare accounts for about 29 percent of all spending on prescription medicines in the U.S. each year.

White House Says Medicare Should Leverage Its Buying Power To Pull Down Drug Prices

8:13pm February 07, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

A spokesman said Tuesday that President Trump does want Medicare to be able to directly negotiate prescription drug prices with drugmakers. Analysts disagree about how much difference that would make.

The skin of the golden poison dart frog, Phyllobates terribilis, secretes a deadly poison that might lead to a better understanding of how to treat malfunctions of the human nervous system.

Chemists Re-Create Deadly Frog Poison In The Lab

6:28pm November 17, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

The toxin comes from tiny frogs in Colombia — the ones that pack a punch on the tip of poison darts. In the past, research on toxins like this has led to some pretty amazing drug discoveries.

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Biotrial, a French company that runs clinical studies, has opened a facility in Newark, N.J.

Company That Ran Fateful Drug Trial In France Opens Test Facility In U.S.

11:09am October 05, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Months after a man died in a botched clinical trial in France, the company that ran it has opened a big research facility in New Jersey, where as many as 50 clinical trials could be done each year.