Choroideremia Can Lead to Blindness – But Gene Therapy Might Be Able to Halt It
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Choroideremia Can Lead to Blindness – But Gene Therapy Might Be Able to Halt It

An article recently published by the Guardian shared the stories of three families affected by recent breakthroughs in gene therapy treatments. What is Gene Therapy? Gene therapy is an increasingly…

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Her Brother Participated in Trials for Vital Spinal Muscular Atrophy Drug, and Now She’s Denied Treatment Access

According to a story from mirror.co.uk, a five-month-old girl named Maryam Malji was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive, degenerative disease that is ultimately fatal without treatment. Her brother…

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You Can Provide Suggestions for the FDA’s Revision of their Rare Disease Research Guidelines

Time for Revision Like many things in this world, research for rare diseases such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Multiple Sclerosis, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) has evolved substantially in recent years. This evolution…

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Arkansas Bill Aims to Add Spinal Muscular Atrophy to The State’s Newborn Screenings
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Arkansas Bill Aims to Add Spinal Muscular Atrophy to The State’s Newborn Screenings

According to a story from arkansasonline.com, Rep. Julie Mayberry R-Hensley of the Arkansas General Assembly is sponsoring House Bill 1074. This legislation proposes adding the rare and potentially fatal genetic…

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30 Million Euros Allocated to Fund Precision Medicine Research Projects for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Precision mNedicine is the latest craze in rare disease research. Thankfully for patients, it is completely, 100% centered on improving the quality of their care. Unlike most typical healthcare practices,…

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Massachusetts Proposes Installment Plan to Cover Cost of Gene Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic condition which affects between 10,000 and 25,000 in the United States. While rare, it is currently the leading genetic cause of infant mortality. But,…

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Rising Cost of Drug Development isn’t Slowing Down Researchers Working to Uncover Novel Therapies for Rare Diseases

Every day the scientific community makes progress in the study of rare disease. Research in the field has advanced exponentially in recent years and we're starting to see more treatments…

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Nonprofit Organization Predicts Gene Therapy to be Most Cost Effective Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
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Nonprofit Organization Predicts Gene Therapy to be Most Cost Effective Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

According to a story from physiciansweekly.com, a recent report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) suggests that, pending more data about overall price and longterm success rates,…

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Positive Results From a Phase IIb Trial of Firdapse for MuSK Myasthenia Gravis Published Online

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a progressive autoimmune disorder which results in the weakening of muscles. Most people with the condition are able to manage their symptoms with treatment and have…

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Lee Cooper’s Take on IVF+PGT: A Way to Prevent all Fatal Genetic Conditions such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1?

What if you could prevent all of the world's most fatal genetic diseases? According to Lee D. Cooper, there's a way- we're just not educating people on how to do…

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Possible Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Gains PRIME Designation From the EMA
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Possible Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Gains PRIME Designation From the EMA

According to a story from pm360online.com, the pharmaceutical company Roche recently announced that its investigational therapy risdiplam has awarded PRIME designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The drug has…

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Experimental Gene Therapy for Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy Gets Priority Review

According to a story from BioPortfolio, the drug developer Novartis recently announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company's investigational gene therapy AVXS-101, also known…

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Researchers Awarded Prize for the Development of Vital Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
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Researchers Awarded Prize for the Development of Vital Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

According to a story from the Farmington Daily Times, Dr. C. Frank Bennett, who grew up in Aztec, NM, and his collaborator Dr. Adrian Krainer, were both jointly awarded the…

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This Just In: India Never Implemented their Rare Disease Policy as Promised
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This Just In: India Never Implemented their Rare Disease Policy as Promised

We all got really excited last year when India implemented a new plan to benefit rare disease patients. It was called the National Rare Disease Policy. Basically, it put 12.86…

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A Woman With Spinal Muscular Atrophy is Fighting for Access to the Therapy That Could Save Her
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A Woman With Spinal Muscular Atrophy is Fighting for Access to the Therapy That Could Save Her

According to a story from MarketWatch, Annie Wilson was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when she was only six months old. With no real treatment options available, doctors told her…

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Families Hope That Provinces in Canada Will Cover Expensive Therapies for Rare Diseases
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Families Hope That Provinces in Canada Will Cover Expensive Therapies for Rare Diseases

British Columbia faces excruciating decisions about how and whether to cover drug treatment for rare diseases. One particular drug is Spinraza.  It is a drug that is a part of…

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