In 2024, the US FDA approved several new agents for the treatment of patients with cancer, including small-molecule inhibitors, immune-checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific antibodies, antibody–drug conjugates and cell and gene therapy products. Areas of regulatory focus included the accelerated approval programme and diligent completion of post-marketing trials, convening of Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee meetings to ensure transparent discussions of complex regulatory issues, and continuation of robust, meaningful engagement with the oncology community to foster efficient drug development.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$189.00 per year
only $15.75 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
US Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry: accelerated approval and considerations for determining whether a confirmatory trial is underway. FDA https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/accelerated-approval-and-considerations-determining-whether-confirmatory-trial-underway (January 2025).
US Food and Drug Administration. Final decision on the proposal to withdraw approval of Pepaxto (melphalan flufenamide) for injection, docket no. FDA-2023-N-3167. FDA https://www.fda.gov/media/176510/download?attachment (23 February 2024).
Kanapuru, B., Carioti, T., Gormley, N. & Pazdur, R. Autopsy of a drug withdrawal – the case of melphalan flufenamide. N. Engl. J. Med. 391, 2177–2179 (2024).
US Food and Drug Administration. Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee 2024 meeting materials. FDA https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/oncologic-drugs-advisory-committee/2024-meeting-materials-oncologic-drugs-advisory-committee (accessed 15 January 2025).
US Food and Drug Administration. Oncology Center of Excellence guidance documents. FDA https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/oncology-center-excellence/oncology-center-excellence-guidance-documents (accessed 20 January 2025).
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals at the US FDA: K. Barnett and U. Mahat as well as their leadership L. Fashoyin-Aje and A. Das (Office of Clinical Evaluation in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research) for assistance with additional information on the complex biologics approvals; R. Pazdur, M. Theoret and T. Kim (leadership at the Oncology Center of Excellence and Office of Oncologic Diseases); L. Amiri-Kordestani, S. Lemery, E. Larkins, A. De Claro and N. Gormley (Division Directors in the Office of Oncologic Diseases); and the many multidisciplinary scientific review staff across the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Finally, we acknowledge and thank the clinical investigators, research staff and patients who participated in the clinical trials that led to these approvals.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Disclaimer This is a US Government work. There are no restrictions on its use.
Supplementary information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Agrawal, S., Park, E. & Kluetz, P.G. FDA approvals in 2024: new options for patients across cancer types and therapeutic classes. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 22, 457–458 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-025-01018-w
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-025-01018-w