News

Register Now for Global Genes’ RARE Patient Advocacy Summit

Registration is now open for Global Genes‘ 2021 RARE Patient Advocacy Summit. This year’s hybrid event will be livestreamed from California Sept. 27-29, and some seats also are available for attending the event in person in San Diego. “Here you’ll have the opportunity to connect and engage with others…

Patient Draws on Her Own Experience to Help Others Through Podcast

Kerry Gabrielson, a 34-year-old with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is devoting herself to raising awareness about hypermobile diseases and helping people with these disorders learn how to manage their symptoms through her podcast “Hypermobility Happy Hour.” In the 34 episodes aired to date, Gabrielson has interviewed experts on topics…

NORD Rare Disease Summit, Online Oct. 18-19, Open for Registration

Registration is now open for the 2021 Rare Diseases and Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit, which will be held virtually Oct. 18–19. The event, also known as the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Summit, brings the rare disease community together to network and discuss developments in treatments and research…

Pain Perception Training May Help With Back Pain in Hypermobile EDS

Weekly rehabilitation sessions mixing mild exercise with cognitive training for pain management may help in relieving lower back pain in people with hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a pilot study suggested. Its researchers call for new approaches in rehabilitation, like neurocognitive rehab sessions, that focus on a patient’s perception of…

Advocates Lobby US Congress During Virtual Rare Disease Week

More than 600 people participated in the 10th annual Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill 2021, held virtually July 14–22, to advocate for the rare disease community. Hosted by the EveryLife Foundation’s Rare Disease Legislative Advocates (RDLA) program, the event brings together community members from across the U.S. to…

US Patient Groups Give Thumbs-Up to Rule Against Surprise Billing

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is applauding the Biden administration for announcing a rule to protect consumers from surprise medical billing, in a joint statement with 26 other U.S. patient organizations. The interim final rule will implement patient protections required by the No Surprises Act. Surprise…

Case Study: Check for vEDS in Patients With Pneumothorax

Doctors should consider the possibility of vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS) when seeing a patient with recurrent pneumothorax — the presence of air in the space between the lungs and the chest wall — that’s resistant to conventional therapy, according to a case report. The report described a 19-year-old man…

Partnership Aims to Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Rare Disease Meds

AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, a specialty and home delivery pharmacy, is partnering with TailorMed, a healthcare technology company, to help lower out-of-pocket prescription costs for specialty pharmacy patients. Medications attained through specialty pharmacies are those used to treat rare and chronic conditions in the U.S., and are often extremely costly. For…

Researchers With EDS May Have Found Causative hEDS Mutation

Scientists finally may have discovered a gene mutation that associates with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) — and their findings, eagerly awaited by the hEDS patient community, are expected to be written up within the next six months, they said. While known mutations are linked with various EDS subtypes, hEDS cases…