orphan drug

Noun

Meaning

A medicinal drug which is effective in the treatment of some disease(s), but which is not manufactured or marketed because the demand is insufficient to cover the costs of supply.
Tragically, her disease is so rare that the only effective medicine is an orphan drug.

(US, law) A drug as defined under the Orphan Drug Act (1983). (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Examples

Tetra Bio-Pharma Discusses FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Its Ophthalmic Pro. Source: Internet

LAM-001 has Orphan Drug Designations in the US for the therapy of LAM disease and PAH, as well as Orphan Drug Designation in Europe for the therapy of LAM disease. Source: Internet

Suzhou's TenNor Therapeutics received Orphan Drug Designation in the US for its novel antibacterial, TNP-2092, as a treatment for biofilm infections on prosthetic joints. Source: Internet

The FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation status to products that treat rare diseases, providing incentives to sponsors developing drugs or biologics. Source: Internet

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