The Orphan Drug Designation program offers various incentives for drugmakers to develop treatments for rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 Americans.
Firdapse is intended to treat about 5 percent of the myasthenia gravis patient population — around 4,500 people — who suffer from a specific type of the disease.
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, located in Coral Gables, Fla., developed the drug. The company laid off a number of employees in May to fund additional trials of Firdapse.
Controlled trials of the drug are underway and Catalyst expects results in early 2017. The company will launch late-stage trials of the drug pending positive trial results and additional funding.
More articles on supply chain:
Merck halts development of osteoporosis drug in light of stroke risk
Mylan coupled executive pay with high profit targets: 7 things to know
What is the cost of discarding unused surgical supplies?
