A new drug candidate is more likely to be approved for use if it targets a gene known to be linked to the disease; a finding that can help pharmaceutical companies to focus their drug development efforts. Emily King and colleagues from AbbVie report these findings in a new study published 12th December in PLOS Genetics.
Only 5 to 10 percent of potential new drugs that enter early stage clinical trials are ultimately approved, and this low success rate increases the cost of development for all new drugs.
