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. 2014 Jul 4;349:g4254. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g4254

Table 2.

Data on clinical development of new medicines

Phase I Phase II Phase III
Success rates (%)11 54 34 70
Average cycle time (years)11 1.5 2.5 2.5
Probability of success to market from key milestones, 2006-08 (%)12 5 11 66
Causes of failure: 2011-12 (%)13:
Efficacy 59 52
Safety 22 35
Other 19 13
Median No of participants, 2000-1014:
Standard medicine 1708
Orphan medicine 438

Median review time for a drug application during 2001-10 was 322 days for the Food and Drug Administration and 366 for the European Medicines Agency15; 91% of submissions are successful.11