b'Under the new law, if a company with an orphan drug chooses to do research to see if that drug can treat another condition, they lose orphan drug protections. While it would make sense to lose those protections if the drug is approved for use in a broader population, in this case the benets are removed before the company even knows if the drug will work for a second condition. This removes the incentive to nd out.To address this issue, a bipartisan bill was introduced into the House and Senate late in 2023, called the ORPHAN Cures Act. This bill would protect the incentives that boost rare disease drug development, undoing the unintended consequences of the IRA that are already having a chilling effect on research funding. Supporting the ORPHAN Cures Act is one way you can advocate for research that may benet the autoimmune community.How can you help? Contact your representatives and ask them to support the act. Let them know why this issue matters to you, as part of the broader autoimmune disease community. Remind them that the rst drugs for multiple sclerosis were developed under the Orphan Drug designation, and without that jumpstart to MS treatment research, its unlikely we would have the treatment options we have today.Contact your congressperson: house.gov/representatives/nd-your-representative Contact your senator: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm Tips for Writing to Your RepresentativeAddress the letter: Use "Dear" followed by the member\'s title and last name. For example, "Dear Congressman Smith" or "Dear Senator Smith". For a member of the House of Representatives, you can use "Dear Mr. or Ms." For the Speaker of the House, use "Dear Mr. or Madam Speaker". Include your contact information: Include your name, title, physical address, and email address. Keep it brief: Keep your letter brief and concise. Limit your letter to one page or 500 words if you\'re writing an email. Be courteous and reasonable: Write legibly (if you are writing a hand-written letter) and be brief and to the point. Mention the bill in question and give your reasons for supporting or opposing it. Make it personal: Tie the issue to your personal expertise or experience. If you don\'t have a personal story, explain why the issue is relevant to your district or state. State your subject clearly: State your subject clearly in the subject line or the rst sentence of the letter. For an email, be sure to include a specic and clear subject heading, such as: Please support "bill name", "bill number".19'