Marketing authorisation applications submitted to the European Medicines Agency by small and medium-sized enterprises: an analysis of major objections and their impact on outcomes.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important source of innovative medicines. Compared with their larger counterparts, they experience challenges as a result of insufficient human and financial resources that can hamper drug development and regulatory compliance. This analysis reviews the profile of major objections raised in marketing authorisation applications for medicines for human use submitted by SMEs to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) between 2011 and 2015 and their impact on the outcome of applications.