On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that, in Fiscal Year 2019, the agency approved a total of 1,171 generic drugs, an all-time record, following a record 971 approvals in Fiscal Year 2018 and a record 937 approvals in Fiscal Year 2017. HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s leadership continues to deliver results for American patients. Three record-setting years of generic drug approvals by the FDA are playing a major role in delivering lower prices and more access to prescription drugs, as evidenced by a historic drop in the Consumer Price Index for prescription drugs. We congratulate the hard-working men and women of the FDA on the results of their work, which protects and improves the public health by ensuring the safety of our drug supply and boosting competition that drives prices down.

“Lower drug prices are an important part of delivering American patients the affordability they need and, ultimately, promoting better health. President Trump will continue to work to put American patients first through competition, negotiation, lower list prices, and lower out-of-pocket costs.”

Read Acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless’s statement here.