The cost of new drug development. Fresh numbers

From here.

■The cost of developing pharmaceutical assets has been relatively flat, rising bout 4% between over the past two years, from just over $1 billion in 2010 to over $1.1 billion in 2012.

 

■The industry's seen a jump in approvals, with 41 between 2011 and 2012, up from 32 between 2010 and 2011.

■Although the approvals have been on the upswing, the projected value has not kept pace. Researchers said the 41 approvals in the 2011-2012 season amounted to $211 billion in projected sales, down from the $309 billion in forecasted sales of the 32 items approved the year before.

■The 12 benchmark companies haven't been able to reduce the number of failed projects, and researchers wrote companies can reduce financial “leakage” by leaving projects earlier in the development process than waiting until later. Researchers also recommended repurposing failed compounds as a way to recoup losses.