News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Neuroene Therapeutics‘ NT102, a potential anti-seizure therapy for Dravet syndrome. NT102, given orally, has been shown to prevent seizures in several animal models, with “excellent protection” against such attacks in Dravet syndrome, according to Neuroene. Orphan drug…

In the two years since the Epilepsy Foundation launched its nationwide Seizure Safe Schools initiative, a dozen states have enacted legislation aimed at providing a safe school environment for the approximately 470,000 children and teens in the U.S. who have an epileptic condition, including Dravet syndrome. The initiative…

Sporting purple gear and sharing personal stories, supporters are observing National Epilepsy Awareness Month in November to call attention to epilepsy and associated disorders, such as Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. More than 65 million individuals globally live with the central nervous system disorder. One-third of those experience…

In their continued efforts to improve health equity for people with rare diseases, Global Genes and RARE-X have joined forces to help advocacy groups collect patient data and make the most of that information. “Patient data is perhaps the most valuable asset rare disease communities can leverage to…

Global Genes has partnered with the Rare Disease Diversity Coalition (RDDC) to advance health equity for rare disease patients and caregivers in underrepresented communities of color. “For rare disease patients, there are many challenges — and for people of color with a rare disease, these challenges are compounded…

There’s a new, free informational resource available for the families of children in the U.S. who have been newly diagnosed with Dravet syndrome. The Dravet Syndrome Foundation has created what it calls “Newly Diagnosed Patient Kits,” which include tools and materials for care management. To get the kits,…

The Rare Disease Diversity Coalition (RDDC) awarded $600,000 in grants to ease the disparities faced by rare disease patients of color. These Impact Rare Disease Solution grants will go five RDDC steering committee working groups, which aim to identify problems for rare disease communities and advocate for solutions. The five…

To establish a public health infrastructure that advances health equity and improves the lives of people with epilepsy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $17.5 million to the Epilepsy Foundation and its partners. The five-year award will support efforts by these organizations to establish and sustain…

A crowdfunding campaign aims to raise $45,000 to support “Rare,” a documentary film featuring the struggles and achievements of people living with rare diseases and their families. Sweis Entertainment and Digital Cave Media launched the campaign — allowing filmmakers to finish producing and to release the documentary — on Kickstarter.

A new U.S. initiative called Rare Disease Cures Accelerator–Data and Analytics Platform — dubbed RDCA–DAP — aims to accelerate treatment innovation across rare diseases by sharing existing patient data and promoting the standardization of new data collection. Launched during a virtual workshop in September, the U.S. Food and Drug…