Author Archives: Patricia Inacio PhD

Health Canada has expanded its approval of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases’ iron-binding oral treatment Ferriprox (deferiprone) to patients who have blood transfusion-induced iron overload due to sickle cell disease (SCD) or other anemias. The decision comes about five months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved…

People with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Ghana — a country in sub-Saharan Africa, a region with the world’s highest SCD prevalence — often go undiagnosed until age 4 and during a pain crisis, a study into patients in Accra, the country’s capital, reported. These findings reflect the importance…

Two years since its establishment, the Networking California for Sickle Cell Care initiative has seen increasing numbers of specialized clinics and healthcare professionals knowledgeable about sickle cell disease (SCD) and is setting new goals to improve the lives of patients in the state, the Network announced in its…

The 10th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Therapeutics Conference, to be held virtually Sept. 15, will highlight the most recent medical advances and developing treatment trends in the field of sickle cell disease (SCD). Taking place during National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, the conference will be hosted by the…

FTX-6058, an investigational oral treatment being developed by Fulcrum Therapeutics for sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia, was found to be effective at raising the levels of fetal hemoglobin in healthy adults enrolled in a Phase 1 trial, according to new interim results. Study data also indicated that FTX-6058 was…

As a stem cell transplant is the only curative treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD), a blood disorder that disproportionately affects Blacks and African Americans, “Cheek Week” is again calling for the participation and inclusion of donors from different ethnic backgrounds in the Be The Match registry,…

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…

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…

Note: This story was updated June 16, 2021, to clarify that the HGB-207 and HGB-212 clinical trials were testing betibeglogene autotemcel, a gene therapy that uses the same viral vector as LentiGlobin.  A patient diagnosed initially with the blood cancer myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after receiving LentiGlobin, Bluebird Bio’s investigational…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting applications for a scholarship program that aims to help adults with a rare disease pursue personal goals through training and education. For a second year, the #RAREis Scholarship Fund — supported by Horizon Therapeutics – will award 35 one-time scholarships, each…