Whereas 30 million people in the United States, or nearly one out of every 10 individuals in the United States, lives with at least one of more than 7,000 known rare diseases; Whereas the Orphan Drug Act ( Public Law 97–414 ) was enacted to provide research and development incentives to encourage the development of new therapies for diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States; Whereas in the 10 years prior to enactment of such Act, only 10 therapies for rare diseases were developed by private industry and approved by the Food and Drug Administration; Whereas since enactment of such Act, research and development of therapies addressing rare diseases has resulted in more than 750 new therapies for rare diseases; Whereas experts estimate that without the tax credit under section 45C of the Internal Revenue Code (relating to a tax credit for clinical testing expenses for certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions), one of the incentives for innovation established in the Orphan Drug Act ( Public Law 97–414 ), at least one-third of such new therapies would likely not have been developed; Whereas the Orphan Drug Act ( Public Law 97–414 ) continues to lead to increased research and successful therapeutic development along the full range of rare diseases; Whereas people with rare diseases benefit from new orphan drugs by having a longer life and a higher quality of life; Whereas society benefits from new orphan drugs through increased productivity from individuals affected by rare diseases as well as a potential decline in the resources devoted to health care, disability, caregiving, and related spending with respect to those individuals; Whereas despite the success of the Orphan Drug Act ( Public Law 97–414 ), fewer than 10 percent of the more than 7,000 identified rare diseases have at least one treatment option that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration