It's A List! Why Is China's Rare Disease List A Major Milestone For Orphan Drug Developers?

Largely different from the US and EU, China is tackling rare diseases with a first-ever official list of 121 conditions for now, which could be a major milestone for orphan drug developers, some experts say.

MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY words written on label tag with medicine,syringe,keyboard and stethoscope
China's first rare disease list a major step for orphan drug developers

A long-awaited official list of rare diseases in China, released by its newly renamed National Health Commission (NHC), has many predicting that a spring for treatments for such disorders has finally come to the country.

The list, compiled by an expert committee, designates 121 conditions in a five-page document, but this does not provide any clear definition of a "rare disease" in China, which differs...

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