INSERM Campaigns For Orphan Drugs

France's National Health and Medical Research Institute (INSERM) has published a report urging the development and production of orphan drugs (drugs used for treating diseases so rare that they are of scant interest to the mainstream drug industry) in Europe. Such diseases would include myopathies, hemophilia and some forms of sclerosis.

France has no regime in place at present to encourage the development of complete and accessible information on rare diseases, and a lack of fiscal incentives for orphan drug development. The report recommends a change in European procedures to accelerate the registration of these drugs in the European Union and the putting in place of financial support "at a purely French level." The report cites the contrasting position in the USA, where firms developing orphan drugs get 50% tax credits on clinical development costs.