On the way to a revolution: New US law will cut 30% of drug development costs

A new bipartisan bill in the US aims to cut drug development times and costs for rare diseases by 30% through a network of permanent trial sites and a $375 million budget over five years for the FDA.

A new bipartisan bill in the US Congress aims to cut drug development times and costs for rare diseases by 30%. The bill proposes establishing a network of permanent, reusable trial sites instead of building dedicated infrastructure for each trial, and using digital technologies such as video calls and wearable devices for remote monitoring. To this end, the bill allocates $375 million over five years to the FDA, which will be used, among other things, to establish a 'Center for Innovation in Clinical Trials'. The vote on the bill is expected only next year, but it enjoys bipartisan support. The headline promises a guaranteed 30% cut, while the body notes that this is an aspiration.