By Barbara Casassus

PARIS — On 28 February, International Rare Disease Day, the French government finally unveiled a four-year plan to bolster research and treatment into this group of ailments, which include sickle anemia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The plan, which spans from this year to 2014, aims to improve the quality of care for people with rare diseases, bolster research and expand European and international cooperation in this area. It is a continuation of France’s first National Plan for Rare Diseases, which ran from 2005 to 2008 and was claimed to be a world first. (A second iteration of the plan was due to be launched in 2010, but it was delayed in part because of a government reshuffle in November.)

(Click here to continue reading.)

Image: Ian Britton, Free Foto