Several thousand different types of rare diseases and disorders exist, with more being discovered each day. In recent years, the interest for rare diseases has grown throughout the entire medical community. However, the road to an approved orphan drug is a long and costly one with many challenges on the way including regulatory, financial, sustainability and pricing and reimbursement issues.Returning for its 4th year and following on from the major success of previous events, SMi is proud to announce that registration is now live for the 4th Annual Orphan Drugs and Rare Diseases Conference taking place on 19th – 20th October 2015 in London, UK.Through a series of interactive presentations and panel discussions, attendees will learn how payers, pharmaceutical, biotech, patient organisations and academia are structuring to participate in and leverage the growing orphan drugs and rare diseases market.Benefits of Attending Include:This two day networking event will review recent developments in the orphan drug and rare diseases industry. Join us and gain in depth knowledge by:• Learning about key strategies and collaborations to accelerate rare disease clinical drug development • Enhance your knowledge on the role of patient organizations in promoting drug development for their disease • Learn the ins and outs of the changing regional and national regulatory landscapeKey Speakers in 2015 include:• Alastair Kent OBE, Director, Genetic Alliance UK, Chair of Rare Disease UK (RDUK) • David Boothe, Global Commercial Leader - GSK Rare Diseases, GSK • Dr Anne Marquet, Principal Clinical Scientist, Rare Diseases, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development • Dr Didier Caizergues, Head of regulatory Affairs Department, International Regulatory Affairs department, GENETHON • Dr Michael Skynner, Head of Rare Disease Alliances, Rare Disease Research Unit, Pfizer • Stephane Demotz, Founder, DORPHAN S.A. • Tim Miller, President & CEO, Abeona Therapeutic