News

To help patient advocacy leaders and their partners better understand how global health statistics codes — known as ICD codes — are assigned, updated, and revised in the U.S. health information system, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is presenting a first-of-its-kind resource guide. The foundation created the…

Those who wish to gain practical tools for living optimally with rare diseases are encouraged to attend the annual Living Rare Living Stronger Patient and Family Forum, hosted by the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and set this year for June 26-27. The conference brings together patients,…

The biopharmaceutical company Zogenix is introducing a Dravet syndrome community photo-sharing campaign and contest to benefit the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation. U.S. families of Dravet patients whose seizures are treated with Fintepla (fenfluramine) — an add-on therapy developed by Zogenix — may enter the…

Eurordis opened a campaign, called Rare 2030 Action, that is seeking to establish a European action plan for rare diseases to ensure that none of the 30 million people in Europe living with rare diseases are left behind by the start of a new decade. As part of…

Ahead of this year’s Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, held virtually July 14–22, the EveryLife Foundation will award grants to top advocates of rare disease organizations who participate in the week’s pre-events. The top 50 point-earners will be eligible to win $1,000 to $5,000in  grants, totaling up…

Activities ranging from submitting names for a virtual remembrance wall to swapping out Facebook photo frames are on tap for Dravet Awareness Month, set aside each June to call attention to a severe type of epilepsy that affects an estimated 1 in 15,700 individuals in the U.S. Awareness and…

Ovid Therapeutics has closed an agreement under which Takeda Pharmaceuticals will secure global rights to develop and market the investigational oral therapy soticlestat (previously TAK-935/OV935) for two rare epilepsy syndromes, one of which is Dravet syndrome, the company announced. Takeda had announced the exclusive agreement…

Ataluren, in development by PTC Therapeutics as a possible treatment for Dravet syndrome, showed an acceptable safety profile in a small clinical trial. That trial, conducted at a single site in New York City, involved 15 children with either Dravet syndrome due to mutations in the CDKL5…

Zogenix has launched a global access program for Fintepla (fenfluramine) to make the medication available to more patients with Dravet syndrome. In the United States and the European Union, Fintepla is approved as an add-on treatment to help prevent seizures in people with Dravet syndrome, ages…

Researchers have developed a mathematical model to identify electrical signal patterns in the brain that predict epileptic seizures in advance, of benefit to people with seizure-related disorders such as Dravet syndrome, a study reports.  The study, “…