Implicit in criticism of 'follow on' or 'me too' drugs is the idea that their development occurs after a first-in-class drug has made it to market and proved commercially successful. Using analysis of development and patent filing histories of entrants to new drug classes in the past five decades, this article provides new evidence that the development of multiple new drugs in a given class is better characterized as a race, rather than the imitation of successful products.
- Joseph A. DiMasi
- Laura B. Faden
