I know this is a long post, but if you’ve got a few minutes, I hope you’ll read and continue your support of my family and others like ours. The more you know!

The Orphan Drug Act (ODA) passed in the US in 1983. Its purpose was to encourage drug companies to research and develop therapies for those with rare diseases. Why is it called “orphan”? Because, rare disease therapies generally lack sponsors to develop them. The market is small, research is expensive, and there is very little return on investment. There are over 30 million Americans suffering from over 7,000 rare conditions. Only 5% of those diseases have an approved treatment. Which means, the majority of those suffering have no treatment options at all. Taking your loved one home and being told to “make the best of the time they have left”, is a very real reality for many. Being granted an orphan drug designation by the #FDA, manufacturers and sponsors receive a 50% tax credit on qualified clinical testing, there are also several grants available. Which in turn helps recover development costs. According to the FDA, in the decade before the ODA was passed, only 10 treatments had been developed for rare diseases. That’s not a typo, TEN. This incentive, since inception, has helped bring nearly 500 new medications to patients. It has a proven track record of success.