title: Novel Treatments for Rare Cancers: The U.S. Orphan Drug Act Is Delivering-A Cross-Sectional Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rare cancers are a heterogeneous group of conditions with highly unmet medical needs. Although infrequent in individuals, rare cancers affect millions of people who deserve effective treatments. Therefore, we systematically analyzed the impact of the U.S. Orphan Drug Act of 1983 on delivery of novel treatments for rare cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative cross-sectional analysis was conducted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Orphan Drug Product database according to Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Statement criteria between 1983 and 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Since 1983, a total of 177 approvals have originated from 1,391 orphan drug designations to treat rare cancers, which represents 36% of all approvals within the U.S. orphan drug act (n = 492). Two compounds (1%) to treat rare cancer were withdrawn after approval. Median time from designation to approval was 2.49 years (interquartile range 1.13-4.64) and decreased significantly over time (p < .001, linear regression). Over the last decade, rare cancer treatments have been transformed from nonspecific cytotoxic agents toward targeted therapies, such as protein kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, representing the largest groups of innovative rare cancer treatments today. Most compounds were approved to treat solid tumors and hematological malignancies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The U.S. Orphan Drug Act and associated incentives, such as 7 years of marketing exclusivity, have fostered delivery of novel treatments for rare cancers. More than one-third of all orphan drug approvals address needs of patients suffering from rare cancers. Over the last decade, the understanding of tumorigenesis and genetic driver mutations in different tumor entities has produced innovative treatments, of which many were first approved within the U.S. Orphan Drug Act.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Over the last 30 years, the U.S. Orphan Drug Act successfully delivered numerous novel treatments for rare cancers, of which some were subsequently used in other, nonorphan indications. The understanding of molecular mechanisms of diseases is directly connected to the search for novel therapies. The constant pursuit to translate basic research findings into clinical practice is a crucial prerequisite to address unmet medical needs in rare cancers, as in other rare diseases. Oncological drug development proves to be a major player in overall orphan drug research, displayed by more than one-third of all U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved orphan drugs with oncological indications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Immunology, Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stockklausner
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany Cooperation Unit Clinical Pharmacy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lampert
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology and Metabolic Medicine, Center for Rare Disorders, Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Georg F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology and Metabolic Medicine, Center for Rare Disorders, Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany markus.ries@uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ries
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017277:Drug Approval; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009965:Orphan Drug Production; D035583:Rare Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Orphan Drug Act; Orphan drug development; Rare cancer; Rare diseases