2010 FDA Approvals and a Look Ahead

Anyone who's kept an eye on the drugmakers this year won't be surprised by this statistic: The Food and Drug Administration approved fewer drugs this year than it has since 2007. According to the Wall Street Journal, which took the time to add them all up, the FDA only approved 21 drugs this year, compared with 25 in 2009 and 24 in 2008. Dwelling on the past isn't usually all that useful for investors; the markets are forward-looking after all. But a little review of recent drug approvals and rejections is useful to see what the future holds for drugmakers in 2011 and beyond.Drugs do get approvedIt's easy to get wrapped up in the FDA's seemingly schizophrenic rejections, but the simple fact of the matter is the agency does

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