Expanded use of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy Soliris (eculizumab) to treat myasthenia gravis (MG) could lead to a significant wholesale cost increase in 2018 and beyond, according to a new study by Prime Therapeutics. Prime manages pharmacy benefits for health plans, employers, and government programs, including Medicare and…
Falling in love is never quite as graceful as they make it out to be in the movies. In reality, things tend to get awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright confusing. When you add chronic illness to the mix, dating just seems to get additionally complicated. I met my boyfriend a…
At least 800 people representing some 45 countries are soon expected to gather in Austria’s capital city, Vienna, for ECRD 2018, the 9th European Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products. The May 10-12 meeting is sponsored by Eurordis, the Paris-based group that defines itself as a “patient-driven alliance”…
Treating late-onset myasthenia gravis (MG) with Rituxan (rituximab) eases disease symptoms, shows a positive safety profile, and allows patients to reduce other medications, researchers say. Their study, “B-cell depletion in late-onset myasthenia gravis is safe and effective; a case series (P6.439),” was presented as a poster at the…
When you have come to survive a few brushes with death, nothing becomes more evident than the value of your time. To most people, the 24 hours in a day just are not enough. Chronically ill people are forced to be both full-time patients and full-time functioning human beings, meaning…
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals recently enrolled the first patient into a Phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Firdapse (amifampridine phosphate) in patients with MuSK antibody-positive myasthenia gravis (MuSK MG). Firdapse is a neuronal potassium channel blocker that works to improve nerve impulses…
Vaccination does not trigger autoimmunity linked to myasthenia gravis in pediatric patients, a study based on records of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests. The findings of the study “Pediatric Myasthenia Gravis After Vaccination in the United States. A Report from the CDC/FDA Vaccine…
Ra Pharma’s RA101495, a potential treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis patients, showed preliminary signs of halting red blood cell destruction in healthy volunteers, results of an early clinical trial show — justifying the Phase 2 trial in patients now underway. Data reporting on the Phase 1 trial results — showing that RA101495…
When you take numerous medications a few times per day, you learn to understand that these medications may have side effects. Luckily, you are usually able to anticipate these side effects’ arrival, thanks to an educational pamphlet accompanying your box of pills or an informative Google search session. Prednisone…
A little-known government entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is helping to lead U.S. efforts to speed up the development of therapies for some 7,000 rare diseases. The Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, was established in 1993Â within the NIH Office of the…
Get regular updates to your inbox.
