FDA Grants Orphan Drug Status for Anti-Anthrax Drug

By Daily Record Staff & Wire Reports

Medarex Inc., of Princeton, N.J., and PharmAthene Inc., an Annapolis-based biotech that is developing counterterrorism drug products, said the Food and Drug Administration granted them orphan drug status for Valortim, an anti-anthrax drug. The designation, which is reserved for drugs that treat diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people, provides a variety of incentives for product development.