One in Five New Dermatology Drugs Were First in Class Over the Past Decade

Samir Kamat, M.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues characterized the frequency and degree of innovation of new dermatologic drugs (topical or systemic) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2012 to 2022.

The researchers identified 52 new drug applications and 26 supplemental new indications approved by the FDA. Among the new drugs, 21 percent were categorized as first in class and 25 percent as first in indication. Health technology assessment organizations in Germany, Canada, or France rated 39 percent of new drugs as clinically useful or having high added therapeutic benefit and 30 percent of the supplemental new indications as clinically useful or having high added therapeutic benefit.

"This study suggests that innovative dermatologic drug development may have increased over the past decade, offering promise for patients with skin disease," the authors write. "However, these findings also highlight opportunities to develop more truly innovative dermatologic agents, particularly for diseases with unmet therapeutic need."

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.

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