Each year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pushes the limits of medical innovation, approving a record number of new drugs and therapies that help us reimagine what’s possible in the world of medicine. In recent years, over 50 new drugs have been approved annually, including therapies targeting infectious diseases, cancers, and even rare genetic disorders.
Small molecule pharmaceuticals, or those that are chemically synthesized, account for the lion’s share of new drug approvals. However, the gap between small and large molecule drugs continues to narrow as large molecule pharmaceuticals like biologics, monoclonal antibodies and gene therapies continue gaining traction.
As the healthcare industry continues to make enormous strides, it's useful to reflect on a handful of the most important drug approvals in history to see how far we've come. Here’s a look at those significant drug approvals that revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry and transformed the medical field.
From the discovery of antibiotics to the emergence of gene-editing therapies, FDA drug approvals have propelled us into a world of medical advancement at an incredible pace. Each year, formulation goals are surpassed, giving millions of people hope and curing diseases once thought to be incurable. As we reflect on the impact of past pharmaceutical approvals, one thing is clear: medicine has a brighter future than ever before, and the upcoming wave of innovations will keep pushing the boundaries of what is conceivable in the medical field.
