Rare Disease Day 2013: Rare Disorders Without Borders

February 28, 2013 | by

Today is the sixth annual Rare Disease Day, an international advocacy day held on the last day of February — a rare day for rare people. On this day, millions of patients and their families from more than 60 countries and regions around the world will share their story to promote awareness of the challenges of living with a rare disease and bring widespread recognition of rare diseases as a global health challenge. This year’s slogan is “Rare Disorders without Borders”, which emphasizes the need for international cooperation.

Rare diseases without borders

Trade Group Study: Hundreds of Rare Disease Drugs in Development

February 21, 2013 | by

According to a new report released last month by the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the biopharmaceutical pipeline is innovative and robust, with a high percentage of potential first-in-class medicines (meaning a new treatment where nothing currently exists) targeting diseases with limited treatment options. In addition to identifying medicines in development for conditions and diseases such as septic shock, ovarian cancer, sickle cell disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which haven’t had any new product approvals in the last ten years, the report offers positive news for the rare disease community: one third of the products currently in clinical development have a rare disease designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

PhRMA

2012: Banner Year for New Drugs

February 12, 2013 | by

Fueled by new cancer therapeutics, last year the annual new molecular and biological entity approval count from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saw its highest year since 1997. One-third of the novel products approved by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) are used to treat cancers of the blood, breast, colon, prostate, skin and thyroid.

FDA approved

CDC Reports Flu Widespread, Google Search Trends Alarming

January 15, 2013 | by

According to new surveillance statistics released on Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), forty-seven states in the U.S. are now reporting widespread influenza activity [1]. The virus, which first appeared in the Southeast, has reached epidemic levels.

U.S. Influenza-like illness Activity - Jan 5, 2013

Glaucoma Cases Expected to More Than Double by 2030

January 10, 2013 | by

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that can damage the optic nerve of the eye, which carries visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States. This potentially blinding eye disease currently affects 2.7 million people nationwide. Recent projections from the National Eye Institute (NEI) suggest this number of glaucoma cases will more than double by 2030 [1].

Glaucoma vision