Pharmaceutical firms profit on rare diseases

Pharmaceutical companies are making substantial profits on the back of rare diseases, a study has found.

The findings have prompted calls for non-commercial involvement in the development of ‘orphan’ drugs, specifically developed for the treatment of rare conditions.

Researchers at Bangor University and the University of Liverpool conducted the study, which found that companies that market orphan drugs are five times more profitable and have up to 15% higher market value than other drug companies.