Rare Diseases 2021: Special Report

Though rare on an individual basis, rare diseases are collectively common. An estimated 300 million people worldwide will be affected by a rare disease at some point in their lives. How can better health data and advances in genomics produce improved outcomes for patients? What are the wider benefits of rare disease research and funding? How has COVID-19 affected the rare disease community?

This report considers some of the lived experiences of rare disease patients, and also explores opportunities for improved testing, diagnosis and treatment.

Featured in the report is Dr. Brendan Buckley, Teckro's Chief Medical Officer and former Director of the European Collaborative Center for Clinical Trials in Rare Diseases at University College Cork.

Additional contributors include:

• Peter Archer, bestselling author and experienced journalist
• Martin Barrow, former health editor at The Times, specializing in the NHS and social care
• Danny Buckland, health journalist
• John Illman, former national newspaper health editor and medical correspondent

This special report was originally published in The Times newspaper and iPad and Tablet editions, as well as online at raconteur.net.