Question

which is true of orphan drugs?

they are not financially viable for drug companies.
their use is associated with fewer adverse effects.
incentives have been offered for independent research.
market size for these drugs can be quite large.

Explanation:

Define orphan drugs

Orphan drugs are pharmaceutical products developed specifically to treat rare medical conditions.

Analyze financial viability

Because the target patient population is extremely small, drug companies cannot recover the high costs of research and development through normal market sales alone, making these drugs financially unviable without government intervention.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1: True. They lack financial viability due to small market size.
• Option 2: False. They do not inherently have fewer adverse effects.
• Option 3: False. Incentives (like the Orphan Drug Act) are offered to pharmaceutical companies, not specifically for "independent research."
• Option 4: False. The market size is small by definition.

Answer:

• (A) They are not financially viable for drug companies. (Correct answer)
• (B) Their use is associated with fewer adverse effects.
• (C) Incentives have been offered for independent research.
• (D) Market size for these drugs can be quite large.