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New Drug Application

Meaning

A New Drug Application, or NDA, is the formal and extensive submission made by a pharmaceutical sponsor to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, requesting official approval to market a new drug for commercial use in the United States. This comprehensive document must contain all scientific data demonstrating the drug’s safety and effectiveness for its intended clinical use, derived from rigorous preclinical testing and human clinical trials. The NDA represents the final, critical regulatory hurdle before a drug can be legally prescribed to the public.