Orphan Drugs

Orphan drugs are pharmaceutical products developed to treat rare diseases, also known as orphan diseases. Such diseases are defined as ones that affect a small number of people, and consequently, do not have effective treatments. These drugs are of significant importance because they bring hope to the affected patients and their families. Since the development of such drugs is costly and time consuming, the U.S. government has set up the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 to incentivize such projects by providing the developers with tax credits and other financial benefits. By providing support to the developers, the Act has increased the number of orphan drugs developed and commercialized. As of today, there are hundreds of orphan drugs that greatly improve the quality of life for millions of people worldwide.