2 January 2020 - Canada has been discussing whether to implement an orphan drug policy for more than 25 years. Recently, the federal government announced funding for orphan drugs starting in 2022, and the Canadian Senate has recommended that the country develop an orphan drug policy. 

This paper uses a list of orphan drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration between 2008 and 2017, inclusive. 

It then compares Canada, which has no orphan drug policy, and Australia, which has had such a policy since 1997.

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