News

A new international consortium based in Paris, and funded largely by the 28-member European Union, intends to speed the diagnosis of rare diseases, while also accelerating the development of treatments for the 95% of such illnesses that currently don’t have one. The European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP…

Percutaneous interbody fusion (PIF), a minimally invasive and potentially safer procedure, is feasible to stabilize spinal fractures due to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and complicated by pseudarthrosis, a Chinese study has found. One day after the intervention, patients felt relief from spinal…

Under-the-skin treatment with ixekizumab leads to early and sustained reductions in pain, fatigue, and inflammation, as well as significant improvements in sleep and quality of life, as reported by patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who took part in two Phase 3 trials. The research, “Translating Improvements…

TNF inhibitors, or blockers, are safer than previously thought for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and may have fewer unwanted side effects than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the standard first-line therapy for AS, a retrospective study has found. The study, “Adverse events in…

It wasn’t until Gordana Loleska’s son David was 14 years old that doctors in their native North Macedonia diagnosed his kidney, vision, and hearing problems as Alport syndrome. Although she had known for years that something was wrong, the news that David would battle a lifelong rare disease devastated…

LINC00311, a type of long non-coding RNA molecule, is overexpressed in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and is associated with worse treatment outcomes and higher likelihood of disease recurrence, a new study shows. The study, “LINC00311 is overexpressed in ankylosing spondylitis and predict treatment outcomes and recurrence,” was published in…

A violinist with vasculitis, two Texas politicians and a pharmaceutical company whose marijuana-derived therapy helps kids with Dravet syndrome were among winners of the 2019 Rare Impact Awards. Officials of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) presented the awards during a June 22 dinner attended by…

While both Cosentyx (secukinumab) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been found to reduce disease progression in people with ankylosing spondylitis, analysis of trial data shows that the anti-rheumatic therapy worked slightly better over a two-year period. However, while Cosentyx did a somewhat better job in…

Inhibiting both IL-17A and IL-17F signaling molecules with the investigational antibody bimekizumab can effectively improve the outcomes of patients with ankylosing spondylitis, according to clinical results. The study, “Dual Neutralisation of Il-17A and Il-17F with Bimekizumab Was Associated with Improvements…

Europe’s umbrella organization for 800 rare disease associations has developed a sweeping initiative to help the continent’s 30 million rare disease patients and their caregivers learn about their conditions, find assistance and receive treatment. Eurordis-Rare Diseases Europe hopes to improve the current piecemeal treatment and support program with a holistic,…