Orphan drugs are economically viable, according to new report

A new report, published by Thomson Reuters, states that orphan drugs have the potential to generate as much lifetime revenue as drugs used for more common health conditions. The report, entitled ‘The Economic Power of Orphan Drugs, states that even though the number of patients benefiting from orphan drugs is significantly smaller, life sciences researchers found that developmental drivers such as shorter clinical trials, government incentives and high rates of regulatory success make the best orphan drugs as economically viable as non-orphan ones.

Current estimates indicate that 250 new rare diseases are identified annually.