Drugs clear quickly in U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long been criticized for being slow to approve new pharmaceutical drugs, but a recent study shows the United States clears drugs at a faster pace than the European Medicines Agency and Health Canada.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzed turnaround times for each agency between 2001 and 2010, concluding the FDA’s drug reviews were roughly 15 percent faster than its foreign peers, according to The Associated Press. The FDA averaged 322 days or about 101¼2 months, for each drug, 45 to 70 days ahead of Europe and Canada. Additionally, the FDA reviewed 225 drugs in the same 10-year period, 40 and 125 more than Europe and Canada, respectively.

The findings allow researchers to focus on other barriers to drug innovation in the U.S., said Kathleen Stratton of the Pew Charitable Trusts, which provided funding for the study.