Affirming the importance of the Orphan Drug Act, applauding the life-saving accomplishments of the Act during its 35-year history, and recognizing the need to continue support for research and development of new therapies for rare diseases.

affirms the importance of the Orphan Drug Act;

applauds the significant, life-saving accomplishments of the Orphan Drug Act during the course of the 35-year history of the Act, including the tremendous growth in research and development of new therapies for rare diseases and the resulting number of therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration for people living with rare diseases;

recognizes that significant research and development efforts and related investments are needed to develop therapies to treat and cure thousands of rare diseases for which no treatment options are currently available; and

recognizes the need to continue supporting public investment, and encouraging private investment, in research and development of new therapies for rare diseases.