News

Increased Education Crucial to Improving Rare Disease Care, Survey Finds

Healthcare providers involved in diagnosing and treating rare diseases believe that increased physician education and collaboration with specialized facilities will have the greatest positive impact on treating these conditions over the next five years, according to results from a 2021 survey. Definitive Healthcare, a healthcare commercial intelligence company, conducted…

Phase 2 Trial of Oral Therapy Orelabrutinib Set to Launch in China

InnoCare Pharma will soon launch a Phase 2 clinical trial in China to test orelabrutinib, its oral investigational Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, to treat neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The announcement comes after China’s National Medical Products Administration approved the company’s request to conduct such a trial,…

#RAREis Representation Program Promotes Equity, Diversity

Horizon Therapeutics has launched its #RAREis Representation program aimed at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion among patients with rare diseases. There are about 400 million people worldwide living with a rare disease; for many of them, access to diagnosis, care, and treatments can be challenging. Accessing better care depends on…

Patients Encouraged to Share Their Stories for NMO Awareness Month

This March, people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are celebrating NMO Awareness Month by sharing stories of how the progressive autoimmune disorder has not stopped them from living meaningful lives. The initiative calls attention to NMOSD, a condition that affects approximately 15,000 people in the U.S. and 10,000…

Rare Disease Day Panel Opens Window to Patient Experience

BioNews, the publisher of this website, hosted a virtual panel discussion on Rare Disease Day 2022, taking a deeper dive into what it’s like to live with a rare disease, including conversations about advocacy, mental health, survivor’s guilt, treatment of minority patients, and more. The Monday event, “A…

#ACTRIMS2022 – Blood Proteins May Help Predict Disease Course

Blood levels of two proteins, GFAP and neurofilament light chain (NfL), may help predict the course of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to new research. Findings also suggest that many NMOSD patients have evidence of brain lesions with active inflammation without any associated symptoms, which indicates that disease…