Orphan Products in Canada - Helping Canadians with rare diseases

'Orphan products' or 'orphan drugs' is the industry term used for biotechnology-developed drugs and treatments for rare diseases.

Rare diseases affect fewer than 1 in 12 Canadians. The majority of these Canadians suffer from severe, life-threatening, and progressively debilitating genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis, Fabry’s, or Huntington's.

Due to the high genetic component in many rare diseases – the vast majority (some 70-80%) of rare diseases are genetic in origin – the role of biotechnology is significantly higher in the field of rare diseases.

Canada is the only country among developed countries without a policy for rare diseases. The U.S. Congress passed the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 to help those with rare disorders.  Japan introduced similar legislation in 1993, Australia in 1997 and the EU in 1999.

Canadians with rare diseases deserve to have equal access to treatment. BIOTECanada recommends that Canada establish a national Orphan Product Policy to ensure that Canadians who live with these conditions have the same access to life-saving treatments as people in other countries.

Join us to mark International Rare Disease Day, or learn more about rare diseases below.


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