Italy increases rare diseases R&D fund

Sergio Dompe, the president of the Farmindustria, Italy's research-based pharmaceutical association, has welcomed a proposal to increase the fund  for families of children affected with rare diseases. He described the  move as "a concrete sign of the extremely positive attention on the part  of the government," regarding an area of considerable long-standing  concern.

Mr Dompe noted that innovative drugmakers, for their part, have 15  candidate therapies under development in Italy, with about 300  worldwide, which are designed to target rare pediatric conditions. He  added that the combined efforts of private and public research centers,  patient associations and other stakeholders is necessary for results to  be achieved in difficult areas.