Forty-five new drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2015, the most since 1996 and four more than 2014.

According to the Associated Press, the increase was spurred largely by drugs for rare and hard-to-treat diseases. Approval for these kinds of drugs is often streamlined.

A high number of drug approvals has been viewed as an indicator of the amount of innovation taking place in the industry. It is also a barometer of the efficiency of the approval process.

However, many of the new, specialty drugs come with very high price tags, adding fuel to the debate in the read more >>>

Source : VOANews.Com