Author Archives: Forest Ray PhD

Givlaari (givosiran) may cause homocysteine, an amino acid, to rise to unhealthy levels in some people with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), according to a recent case study of two patients. Blood levels of homocysteine should be tested in people with acute porphyrias being considered for this treatment, and checked regularly…

Insulin resistance, a phenomenon in which cells in the body become unable to draw energy from blood sugar, appears to be more common in people with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) than previously thought, according to a recent study. Investigators also noted that experiments performed in a mouse model indicated…

People with symptomatic acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) should be monitored regularly, as this disorder can affect their quality of life even if their attacks are infrequent. A recent study with that finding revealed evidence of significant chronic symptoms and long-term medical conditions among patients with sporadic AIP, as compared to…

The two COVID-19 vaccines that recently received emergency approval from the U.S. and other worldwide regulatory agencies are expected to pose little risk to the rare disease community, including to patients with compromised immune systems or those participating in gene therapy studies. That was the message of a recent…

Same But Different, a U.K. nonprofit that uses the arts to bring communities together, is holding a calendar photography competition to raise awareness for rare diseases. Under the theme “A Glimmer of Hope,” the competition is a means to “visually express the hope that exists for people affected by…

Raremark, an online rare disease patient community, has launched a digital platform called Xperiome, aimed at streamlining the search for new medicines for rare disorders and incorporating more patient input into research. The goal is to help the pharmaceutical industry deliver innovative new therapies faster and smarter, the…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases has launched a nationwide National Burden of Rare Disease Survey to measure the full implications, economic and social, of living with rare disease in the United States. People with rare diseases know that the impacts of such conditions extend beyond just medical…

The Alexion Charitable Foundation has awarded $1.1 million in grants to programs that support those with rare diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization recently announced. The grants will support activities that align with the foundation’s Rare Belonging focus, a set of funding priorities aimed at improving the…

The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) recently created a Rare Disease Diversity Coalition focused on reducing racial disparities in the rare disease community. Getting a timely and accurate diagnosis for a disease that few people — sometimes even physicians — have heard of is challenging on its own merit.

Physicians solved a case of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) — with blistering lesions on the patient’s arms, neck and face — by treating an underlying infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a new report. The case was described in the study, “…