Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today applauded the release of the 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Innovative Drug Approval Report, which highlights 35 new innovative drugs approved in Fiscal Year 2011, the most in a decade with the exception of 2009. Many of these drugs are for groundbreaking therapies to treat diseases including Hepatitis C, prostate cancer, lupus and drug resistant skin infections.
“It is clear that Commissioner Hamburg’s work to modernize the agency’s focus, expertise, and process is beginning to pay off. The FDA has my full support in its continued work to define and ultimately advance safe and timely approval of groundbreaking drugs.
“But we can and must do more to ensure the FDA is a driver of global innovation in the 21st century. I look forward to further collaborations that will encourage faster approvals of safe and effective lifesaving therapies. This progress will be crucial in states like Colorado with entrepreneurial horsepower, skilled workforce and top-tier research institutions that are positioned to lead the country in the innovation economy.”
In August, Bennet sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg pushing for reformed FDA regulations that foster innovation and competitiveness and position the FDA to serve as a driver of the global economy. Following the letter, Hamburg joined Bennet to hear about innovation and advances in the bioscience industry in Colorado while touring the Colorado Science and Technology Park at the Medical Campus there. In October, Bennet joined the National Venture Capital Association’s Medical Innovation Coalition (MedIC) to discuss a new study analyzing how FDA regulatory challenges affect venture capital investment in biopharma and medical device start-ups companies.