Let Federal Rare-Disease Vouchers End, Harvard Researcher Says

Federal vouchers to encourage development of treatments for rare pediatric diseases don’t work, a researcher told lawmakers Wednesday, giving ammunition to critics of the program.

The priority review voucher program, which offers drug companies the chance to speed up approval of medicines if they create treatments for rare diseases, has failed to stimulate development of cures, Aaron Kesselheim, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said. Additionally, it doesn’t address the high cost of these treatments, he said.

Lawmakers should let the program expire and instead fund research into rare diseases, Kesselheim said.

“A better pathway forward for Congress ...