The Economics Of Orphan Blockbuster Drug Development Authors: Jennifer C. Chen, Chris Madsen, and Anna Kaltenboeck

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2026.00209?utm_campaign=august+2026+issue&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-91aAWstCIZ7A3csyG3MFWmZXW_w-71eBCHj5cqzVOnlvoxpJ8lmqbQ5clKCRgFXQg6B4QQfOdv9vkXtX7cNRrSiWfBxA&_hsmi=435825762&utm_source=well+read Researchers found that blockbuster orphan drugs generally recoup their clinical trial costs as or more quickly than other high-spending drugs, raising questions about whether exemptions and delays in Medicare drug price negotiations are necessary to incentivize orphan drug development.