Advisory panel meetings at the Food and Drug Administration are typically pretty dramatic. The FDA usually calls them when it needs a little help deciding whether to approve a drug or not: Sitting on the fence always creates drama. The agency even puts out previews of the featured event in the form of documents it sends to the panel members, which gives investors a first look at what the FDA might be thinking.
For Johnson & Johnson's
Balancing a drug's better performance with the increased risk of side effects seems to be a common theme lately. Eli Lilly's
sanofi-aventis
The real drama will come Thursday, when the FDA advisory panel meets. If the panel shrugs off the safety data, Xarelto likely will be home free. Otherwise, the drug may have a hard time getting approval.
More Foolishness:
- Decide who's to blame, March Madness style.
- Will these companies get approvals from the FDA this month?
- Do you have the guts to buy?