October 12, 2022 – Since this time last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approvals for 42 new medications. The press releases for these drugs would lead a reasonable person to conclude that a pharmaceutical revolution is underway – that the drug industry is ushering in a brave new era of medical advances.
The truth is far less flattering. Despite enormous hype and dozens of new medications flooding the market each year, major pharmaceutical breakthroughs are exceedingly rare. The overwhelming majority of “blockbuster” drugs represent minimal (if any) improvement over existing treatments.
This is not because drug companies lack the scientific know-how, research capabilities or dollars to deliver lifesaving medications. Instead, drug-industry innovation has been stifled by an unwritten rule in healthcare; one that has guided nearly all pharmacological research and development (R&D) efforts of the 21st century.
Read Dr. Robert Pearl’s latest column on Breaking the Rules of Healthcare in October’s issue of Repertoire Magazine.