orphans definition

Institutions for the housing and care of orphans, foundlings, and abandoned children. They have existed as such since the medieval period but the heading is applicable to such usage also in modern parlance.

(12 Dec 1998)

A disease for which no treatment has been developed because of its rarity (affecting no more than 200,000 persons in the U.S.).

See: orphan products.

(05 Mar 2000)

A pharmaceutical that has been abandoned or neglected during its development because it is seen as having only a limited potential for profit. Often a drug which only has a limited target population or which treats a rare disease, thus limiting its financial potential.

(09 Oct 1997)

Law giving incentives to companies developing a drug for a rare disease. The act gives the developer of the first drug of any one type a 7-year exclusive right to market the new drug.

(14 Nov 1997)

Production of drugs or biologicals which are unlikely to be manufactured by private industry unless special incentives are provided by others.

(12 Dec 1998)

Preferred term: orphan products

/or'f*nd i:'nohd/ [Unix] 1. A file that retains storage but no longer appears in the directories of a file system.

(01 Jul 2002)

<operating system> A Unix process whose original parent has terminated and which has become a child of "init(1)".

Compare: zombie.

(01 Feb 1996)

Drugs, biologicals, and medical devices (including diagnostic in vitro tests) that may be useful in common or rare diseases but which are not considered commercially viable.

Synonyms: orphan drugs.

(05 Mar 2000)

<virus>

<virology> A virus that has not yet beenclassified and linked to a particular disease.

(09 Oct 1997)

Virus's, such as the enteric orphan virus's, which when originally found were not specifically associated with disease; a number of these have since been shown to be pathogenic.

(05 Mar 2000)