Prescription drugs: Development, pricing and abuse

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awards priority review vouchers (PRV) to drug sponsors that develop drugs for tropical diseases or rare pediatric diseases or to use as medical countermeasures. The PRV-which can be sold to another drug sponsor-may be redeemed later to receive priority review from FDA with a targeted review time of 6 months, rather than the 10-month standard review, for a drug application of the PRV holder's choice. Chapter 1 examined the number of PRVs awarded and redeemed and the drugs for which they were awarded or redeemed, and what is known about the extent to which the PRVs provide incentives for developing drugs to meet unmet needs.