Drug dev slows despite AI: median clinical timelines stretch to 9.3 years
zakkohane · x · 2026-10-29
Ruxandra Teslo argues that despite staggering basic science advances, drug development is slowing—the median clinical development pathway has grown from 8.4 to 9.3 years and pipeline creation dropped 32% even as R&D spending rose. AI alone won't fix this, though it could help via better endpoints enabling smaller cohorts and shorter follow-ups.
The reblogger adds two paradoxes: healthier populations make trials take longer to accrue events, and ever-stronger safety/ethics regulation makes running any trial nearly impossible.
Related event: Drug Development Slows Despite Rising Spending; AI Alone Won't Fix It(2 posts)→
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