News

COVID-19 May Trigger Acquired Hemophilia A, Case Study Says

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, might have triggered acquired hemophilia A (AHA) in a 65-year-old man with a clinical history of autoimmune thyroid disease, a U.S. case study reports. This case suggests that COVID-19 infection should be considered when looking for potential causes of AHA. The study, “…

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…

Gene Therapy SPK-8011 Prevents Bleeds Up to 4 Years

A single dose of Spark Therapeutics’ investigational gene therapy SPK-8011 safely and effectively prevented bleeding episodes and the use of clotting factor VIII (FVIII) for up to four years in men with hemophilia A, according to the latest data from a Phase 1/2 trial and its extension study.

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…

Fewer Bleeds Follow Move to Extended Half-life Therapy, Study Finds

People with severe hemophilia A who switch from standard to extended half-life replacement therapies experience fewer bleeds and require less frequent infusions, an analysis of patients in Austria indicates. Whether these gains are reflected in lower overall treatment costs, however, is less clear, its researchers added. Data from this…