A new guidance entitled “Expedited Programs for Serious Conditions – Drugs and Biologics” is now available from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 40-page guidance is intended to serve as a single resource for information on FDA’s policies and procedures related to its four expedited drug development and review programs: (1) fast track designation, (2) breakthrough therapy designation, (3) accelerated approval, and (4) priority review designation. The guidance also defines the threshold criteria generally applicable to each program, including when a condition is considered “serious,” when a therapy is “available therapy,” and when a medical need is “unmet.”   The guidance follows the 2012 passage of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, which called for FDA to expand its efforts to expedite the development and review of drugs intended to treat serious conditions.  Comments regarding the guidance may be submitted at any time.