The Year of the Diet Pill
July 24, 2012
New drug approvals sometimes come in class-specific clusters, as drug makers competing for the same indication race to get to market first. In the US, the year 2011 was notable for approvals of drugs to treat hepatitis C. Merck’s protease inhibitor, Victrelis (boceprevir), was the first in its class to be approved in May 2011, followed later that month by Incivek (telaprevir) from Vertex Pharmaceuticals.