Even outside of WHO's list, the number of prescription drugs in existence is surprisingly low. People might imagine there are "millions" of drugs. But it seems to be in the ballpark of ~600 based on looking at:
- items in the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (Canada) or the United States Pharmacopeia
- number of Drug Identification Numbers (DIN) (Canada) or National Drug Codes (NDC) (USA)
- how many SKUs a large pharmacy has (when I asked a pharmacist)
The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines gives just 460 medicines, by the way.
The drug manufacturers give basic drugs different names depending on the country or market, or combine basic drugs in combo pills with new names, and make extended release versions and whatnot. Therefore we have the perception that there is much more variety than there really is.
EDIT: The FDA has approved 1,453 drugs in its entire history[1] but it's not clear how many were withdrawn or are no longer marketed.
> "There are over 20,000 prescription drug products approved for marketing."
But how does that square with the claim that the FDA has approved 1,453 drugs in its entire history?
I wonder what they mean by drug products? I'm guessing that the FDA Fact Sheet you found is counting every combo pill, extended release or sustained release form, oral vs injectible vs suppository formulation, and maybe even different dosages as different drug products.
Whereas the paper mentioning 1,453 drugs is counting only new molecular entities.
It could be, I agree. The numbers from your article seem low to me, but of course I'm not an expert. Also drugs aren't just discovered in the US, so world wide it's surely more.
I think there are still many less commonly prescribed drugs. I'm a dialysis patient and atleast three I'm prescribed in not there: Febuxostat, Sevelamer, and Cinacalcet.
- items in the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (Canada) or the United States Pharmacopeia
- number of Drug Identification Numbers (DIN) (Canada) or National Drug Codes (NDC) (USA)
- how many SKUs a large pharmacy has (when I asked a pharmacist)
The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines gives just 460 medicines, by the way.
The drug manufacturers give basic drugs different names depending on the country or market, or combine basic drugs in combo pills with new names, and make extended release versions and whatnot. Therefore we have the perception that there is much more variety than there really is.
EDIT: The FDA has approved 1,453 drugs in its entire history[1] but it's not clear how many were withdrawn or are no longer marketed.
[1] https://www.raps.org/regulatory-focus%E2%84%A2/news-articles...