Drugs Against Rare Diseases: Are The Regulatory Standards Higher?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a draft Guidance for Industry for Rare Diseases: Common Issues in Drug Development (referred to as "Rare Diseases Guidance"). In our opinion, the FDA should consider: (a) explicitly acknowledging the standards are higher for rare diseases for the reasons presented in this article; and (b) illustrating innovative development pathways that may be acceptable for rare diseases, including case studies.