On April 27, the European Commission implemented the first community-wide orphan drug regulations to encourage development of drugs for diseases affecting less than 5 out of every 10,000 of the EU population. Incentives include a 6- to 10-year period of market exclusivity and exemptions from market-approval fees, which can amount to more than £100,000 (US $150,000). A newly created independent Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products will assess a drug candidate's eligibility for orphan status before submission to the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA), which regulates the approval of all drugs in the EU. The EMEA says that 31 companies have already expressed an interest in applying for the orphan status designation. Orphan drug regulation has been in effect in the US since 1983 and has been implemented subsequently in Japan, Australia, and Singapore.