Dec 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has granted national priority vouchers to Merck’s cholesterol pill and its cancer therapy, making them the latest additions to the fast-track program.
Reuters exclusively reported on Thursday that Merck’s drugs were the 17th and 18th medicines to be included in the FDA’s new program.
Launched in June, the FDA Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program cuts the review timeline of drugs considered critical to public health or national security needs to just one to two months from the usual 10-12 months.
Earlier this month, the FDA awarded the voucher to Johnson & Johnson’s blood cancer treatment, Tecvayli, in combination with Darzalex.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Shailesh Kuber)
