This statistic includes only pharmaceutical companies with a single oncologic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
* Alexion later had two drug approvals in the last quarter of 2015; these drugs are not included in this statistic.
** Compound acquired by the company on this date.
Citation formats
Time from R&D start to approval of select cancer drugs 2017
This statistic shows the time between the R&D start and the approval of selected cancer drugs which were on the market as of 2017. Alexion Pharmaceuticals' drug Eculizumab had a research and development phase of over 15 years until its approval in **********.
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Journal of the American Medical Association. (November 1, 2017). Time between R&D start and approval of selected cancer drugs on the market as of 2017 (in years) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/788787/randd-start-to-approval-time-range-of-select-cancer-drugs/
Journal of the American Medical Association. "Time between R&D start and approval of selected cancer drugs on the market as of 2017 (in years) ." Chart. November 1, 2017. Statista. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/788787/randd-start-to-approval-time-range-of-select-cancer-drugs/
Journal of the American Medical Association. (2017). Time between R&D start and approval of selected cancer drugs on the market as of 2017 (in years) . Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 11, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/788787/randd-start-to-approval-time-range-of-select-cancer-drugs/
Journal of the American Medical Association. "Time between R&d Start and Approval of Selected Cancer Drugs on The Market as of 2017 (in Years) ." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Nov 2017, https://www.statista.com/statistics/788787/randd-start-to-approval-time-range-of-select-cancer-drugs/
Journal of the American Medical Association, Time between R&D start and approval of selected cancer drugs on the market as of 2017 (in years) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/788787/randd-start-to-approval-time-range-of-select-cancer-drugs/ (last visited October 11, 2026)
Time between R&D start and approval of selected cancer drugs on the market as of 2017 (in years) [Graph], Journal of the American Medical Association, November 1, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/788787/randd-start-to-approval-time-range-of-select-cancer-drugs/
