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# Cancer Drug Approvals Slower Outside U.S.: Study
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/cancer-drug-approvals-slower-outside-u-s-study/
- Published: 2018-04-04T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T23:57:25.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5141145

University of Pittsburgh researchers say that cancer drugs are approved faster in the U.S. than in overseas countries. The [study](https://www.jmcp.org/doi/abs/10.18553/jmcp.2017.23.2.247?ref=fdaweb.com) was reported in the *Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy*.

The researchers looked at 45 oncology drugs approved by FDA between 2009 and 2013\. They found that most treatments were approved first in the U.S., although 6.7% of approvals were faster outside this country. “Average time to approval is 10.6 months later in Europe, 14.9 months later in Canada, and 15.6 months later in Australia,” they write. The study also found that even if a drug is approved outside the U.S., it may be that insurers will not pay for it.

It says that before 12/21/13, 30 of the 45 drug indications were approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and thus available (although possibly not covered) in the UK. France approved all 30 EMA-approved indications. In Canada and Australia, 24 of the 45 drug indications were approved. In the U.S., in contrast, all 45 indications were covered in some way by Medicare.