ORPHAN DRUG CREDIT

A federal tax credit that provides an incentive for pharmaceutical companies to seek treatments and cures for rare diseases affecting Americans. Normally, companies may not be motivated to make a drug for a small population because sales may be insufficient to justify the research and development costs of creating the drug. The Orphan Drug Credit provides a credit of 50% of clinical drug testing costs for drugs being tested under section 505(i) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.