How To Overcome Bottlenecks To Expedite Drug Approvals

By Joe DiMartino

We all know that it can take decades for a drug to be developed and approved. In fact, five out of 5,000 investigational new drugs make it to clinical trials, and subsequently, it takes 10 to 15 years to release a drug to market. Though, as the world seeks a SARS-COV-2 cure (Editor’s note: article written in May 2020), R&D companies are feeling the pressure to deliver an antiviral drug as quickly as possible.

On top of crunched timelines, safety and quality are always concerns. So, for most drug developers, the question remains: How can we accelerate delivering new drugs to patients, while at the same time, ensuring those drugs meet stringent regulatory requirements? There are a couple of bottlenecks I foresee companies encountering that may affect their timelines. Though, there are some things they can do during the development process that may help expedite drug approvals.