Rare Diseases in Australia: a piecemeal approach
The Association of Genetic Support of Australasia (AGSA)1 was established in 1988. It is a network of people who are affected by genetic conditions, either directly or indirectly. AGSA endeavours to facilitate contact with other families or individuals affected by the same or similar conditions; it also provides information about support groups in Australia and overseas. ‘We have over 800 rare genetic diseases in our database,' says Dianne Petrie, AGSA's Director. ‘Individuals living with a rare disorder need legislation in Australia and New Zealand. There has been discussion about how we might approach access to innovative therapies and orphan drugs;, and a workshop on how to develop a National Action on Rare Diseases in Australia will be held at a National Conference in May 2009. With planning, one could envisage a bold vision of forming a South East Asian or Asia Pacific Organisation for Rare Disorders in years ahead.'
The meeting was organised by the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU), a national research organisation established in 1993 and based at the Westmead Children's Hospital, which collects data on rare childhood diseases in Australia. ‘We have written to the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing to argue for the adoption of a National Plan for Rare Diseases,' says Yvonne Zurynski, APSU's Assistant Director. ‘We are lucky here in Australia, because we can use the experience of other countries, such as the USA, and many in Europe. During the meeting, we discussed the possibility of an Australian National Plan that would be similar to the French Plan for Rare Diseases, with a focus on health research, better access to health services and treatments, and improved access to information and educational resources for families and for clinicians.' The only piece of legislation in favour of rare diseases in Australia today is the Orphan Drug Program of 1998. The Program, developed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, (TGA) - the equivalent of the FDA in the USA - is aimed at encouraging sponsors of prescription medicines for treatment of rare diseases to register and market these medicines in Australia. The TGA waives fees for the application for orphan drug designation and, the application for registration and for the initial evaluation of the data, and provides exclusive approval. ‘But this is not enough,' says Yvonne Zurynski. ‘The awareness of rare diseases in Australia is still too low and there is no common voice for all rare disease patients. With the help of SMILE, we are hoping to trigger the creation of such an organisation in the near future.' Karen Gair, CEO of SMILE, agrees, ‘It would be fantastic to see this organisation launched by International Rare Disease Day 2010.'
1AGSA is a member of the Australasian Genetic Alliance and the International Genetic Alliance
2The Commonwealth of Australia comprises six States and two mainland territories
3Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale - National Institute for Research and Medical Health
This article was first published in the March 2009 issue of the EURORDIS newsletter
Author: Jérôme Parisse-Brassens
Photo credits: © EURORDIS; SMILE
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