PRV Background
The priority review voucher (PRV) is a tradable certificate awarded to the developer of a treatment for a neglected tropical disease that gains approval from the FDA. It entitles the holder to a priority review (a speedier review time) for a future product of their choosing. The voucher can shorten the review process by six to 12 months, and if applied to a blockbuster product, it is estimated that the
voucher could be worth up to $300 million.
The PRV was proposed by Duke University faculty Henry Grabowski, Jeffrey Moe, and David Ridley in their 2006 Health Affairs paper: "Developing Drugs for Developing Countries." In 2007 Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sponsored an amendment to the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, and President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on September 27, 2007.
