January-August 2023 saw clinical trial data up 1.22% compared to the same time period last year. In the first eight months of this year, BioWorld reported on 2,314 drugs in phase I-III, compared to 2,286 in the same timeframe in 2022. The number of trial updates is down 13.24% from the 2,667 in 2021 and down from 2020’s 2,363, but up 20.46% from 2019’s 1,921.

Approvals from the U.S. FDA are up more than 16% from last year, with 113 drugs approved in the first eight months of 2023. New approvals include two different treatments for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, two treatments for ultra-rare diseases and a biosimilar to Biogen Inc.’s Tysabri. In August the FDA greenlighted 13 drugs, approving three NDAs, six BLAs, two supplemental NDAs and two supplemental BLAs.