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# Pazdur Highlights Cancer Drug Approvals
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/pazdur-highlights-cancer-drug-approvals/
- Published: 2016-01-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T02:28:54.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5134468

> CDER Office of Hematology and Oncology Products (OHOP) director **Richard Pazdur** says that in 2015 OHOP approved 16 new molecular entities including drug approvals for non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Writing in an agency online *From Our Perspective* [post](http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/NewsEvents/ucm482172.htm?source=govdelivery&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=govdelivery), Pazdur says that 11/2015 was a particularly busy month, with the approval of six new oncology drugs, most of them through expedited review programs.  
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> His post examines the accelerated approval, priority review, and breakthrough therapy programs that are frequently used with new oncology drugs and looks at why oncology drugs receive expedited review. “I must emphasize that an expedited review or an early approval does not mean that the drug is any less safe or effective than one that is approved closer to or on its PDUFA date,” Pazdur says. “Many of OHOP’s oncologists are practicing physicians who assume the care of patients with cancer and understand the need to facilitate the approval of important drugs while maintaining the high standards of safety and effectiveness. Early approvals are not at the expense of the quality of the review. Extra resources are allocated to the review of these applications by assigning multiple reviewers to an application, enhancing communication within the review teams and field inspectors, as well as providing greater communications with sponsors to quickly resolve issues that may arise during the review.”  
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> In 2016, the report concludes, OHOP will continue to conduct thorough reviews of oncology drug product applications and approve drugs that meet the agency’s rigorous standards.