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Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders, announced that the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development has granted orphan drug designation for UX003 for the treatment of MPS 7. MPS 7 is an extremely rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder characterized by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme Beta-glucuronidase, required for the degradation of the glycosaminoglycans dermatan sulfate (DS) and heparan sulfate (HS). UX003 is a recombinant human Beta-glucuronidase intended as an enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of MPS 7. MPS 7 was originally described in 1973 by William Sly, MD, St. Louis University School of Medicine, and is also known as Sly Syndrome. Ultragenyx in-licensed the MPS 7 program from St. Louis University. su

"Obtaining orphan drug designation for UX003 is a significant achievement for Ultragenyx that adds value to our development pipeline and attests to the importance of this product candidate in filling an unmet medical need," said Emil D. Kakkis, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Ultragenyx. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Dr. Sly and colleagues at St. Louis University to advance this urgently needed therapy into clinical testing."

The Orphan Drug Designation program provides orphan status to drugs and biologics intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases/disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Among the benefits of orphan designation in the US are seven years of market exclusivity following FDA approval, waiver or partial payment of application fees, and tax credits for clinical testing expenses conducted after orphan designation is received (see also Rare Diseases).