Last week, the US Senate added the Zika Virus to the priority review voucher (PRV) program for FDA. It could be the 22nd tropical disease on the list if the bill passes in the House which seems likely. Zachery Brennan published a comprehensive article on this topic which shares a good history on the program.
While the Senate and Congress seem to be big fans of the PRV program, not all industry experts completely support this program which gives corporations who apply and earn the vouchers the ability to cut the FDA review period from 10 months to 6 months, or, they can sell them for hundreds of millions of dollars on the market. FDA’s established opposition to the program is reviewed in an article earlier this month on www.raps.org .
Need help navigating which rare, neglected, and tropical diseases are eligible for PRVs? Contact our staff, we can help.