Representative Henry A. Waxman 30th District of California

High prescription drug prices place a heavy burden on consumers, particularly older Americans and families who lack health insurance. Rep. Waxman has been a leading advocate for ensuring patients have affordable access to the drugs they need by fostering competition in the pharmaceutical industry. The Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984 is credited with creating the generic drug industry, which has saved patients billions of dollars and dramatically improved their access to drugs. Rep. Waxman’s current health care reform efforts aim to build on Hatch-Waxman and expand the development and availability of low-cost prescription drugs to all Americans.

Orphan Drugs

Prior to 1983, people afflicted with rare diseases had little hope that pharmaceutical treatments and cures would be developed. Although many potential treatments were waiting in laboratories, drug companies were not developing them because the small population in need of the treatments failed to provide an adequate market.

Rep. Waxman was the principal author of the original Orphan Drug Act, which drastically improved this situation. Originally enacted in 1983, the Orphan Drug Act provides novel market and tax incentives to companies willing to develop drugs for small patient populations. Since 1983, Rep. Waxman has written and helped enact a series of laws that have made significant improvements to the original legislation.
Learn more about Rep. Waxman's work on the Orphan Drug Act