SENATE RESOLUTION
8684
By Senators Fortunato, Stanford, Torres, Warnick, and Cleveland
1 WHEREAS, There are nearly 7,000 diseases and conditions
2 considered rare (each affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans) in the
3 United States, according to the National Institutes of Health; and
4 WHEREAS, While each of these diseases may affect small numbers of
5 people, rare diseases as a group affect 25,000,000-30,000,000
6 Americans and 750,000 Washingtonians; and
7 WHEREAS, Many rare diseases are serious and debilitating
8 conditions that have a significant impact on the lives of those
9 affected; and
10 WHEREAS, The Food and Drug Administration has approved drugs and
11 biologics for more than 880 rare disease indications, but millions of
12 Americans still have rare diseases for which there is no approved
13 treatment; and
14 WHEREAS, Individuals and families affected by rare diseases often
15 experience problems such as diagnosis delay, difficulty finding a
16 medical expert, and lack of access to treatments or ancillary
17 services; and
18 WHEREAS, While the public is familiar with some rare diseases and
19 sympathetic to those affected, many patients and families affected by
20 less widely known rare diseases bear a large share of the burden of
21 funding research and raising public awareness to support the search
22 for treatments; and
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 1 WHEREAS, Thousands of residents of Washington are among
2 those affected by rare diseases since nearly one in 10 Americans
3 has a rare disease; and
4 WHEREAS, The Orphan Drug Act has encouraged and promoted the
5 discovery and development of biopharmaceuticals designed to
6 treat and even cure rare diseases; and
7 WHEREAS, Many of the world-leading academic institutions,
8 academic medical centers, biotech companies, and pharmaceutical
9 companies conducting research and seeking cures for rare
10 diseases are doing so in Washington;
11 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state
12 Senate commend the endeavor of finding cures for rare diseases
13 and encourage all Washingtonians to recognize the struggle of
14 those afflicted and their families and commit to a future of
15 hope through compassionate care for our neighbors and scientific
16 discovery.
17 I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate,
18 do hereby certify that this is a true and
19 correct copy of Senate Resolution 8684,
20 adopted by the Senate
21 February 29, 2024
22 SARAH BANNISTER
23 Secretary of the Senate
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