NVS - FDA Approved 1014 Generic Drugs in 2019
The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Generic Drugs had a productive 2019, approving 1,014 generic drugs, down ever so slightly from the 1,021 it approved in 2018. The 2019 figure includes 110 approvals for generic versions of complex drugs, which are harder to manufacture and typically have faced less generic competition.
The agency's annual report also notes that 108 of the approvals were for the first generic versions approved for their medications, including blockbusters such as Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) Lyrica, Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY) Eliquis, and GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE: GSK) Advair.
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