FDA Offers $18 Million in Grants to Support Rare Disease Clinical Trials

The FDA is doling out more than $18 million in grants to support clinical trials for rare diseases, the agency has announced.

The grants will roll out over the next four years and will be given to 12 principal investigators, a mish-mash of big academic institutions and private companies. The money comes through the FDA’s Orphan Products Clinical Trials Grants Program.

For example, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals will receive $1.75 million over four years for a phase II study of an experimental drug treatment for Stargardt disease, while Patagonia Pharmaceuticals will be given $1.5 million over three years to run a study of isotretinoin in the treatment of congenital ichthyosis, a skin disorder in newborns.