FDA Takes Caution on Approving New Drugs

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Under growing scrutiny since the blockbuster painkiller Vioxx was pulled from the market, the Food and Drug Administration in recent months has rejected a slew of experimental drugs or delayed their approval and required more data. Besides keeping drugs some patients might desperately need off the market, the rejections have battered drug company stock prices and are expected to increase the cost and time it takes to develop a new drug, not to mention the price of developing future ones.