A treatment approved for adults, called Scenesse (afamelanotide), successfully treated a 9-year-old girl with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and extreme light sensitivity that required her family to live in darkness. According to a case study from Switzerland, the medication safely restored her light tolerance within days, quickly returning her…
In rare cases, epilepsy and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), a condition marked by brain swelling that leads to seizures, headaches, and confusion, may be the first signs of acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), according to a case report. “This case highlights the heterogeneous [varied] neurological manifestations of AIP,…
Supplements of bacteria-derived lipoteichoic acid and alpha-lipoic acid — an insulin sensitizing compound — may help improve blood sugar control and the body’s response to insulin during a high-carbohydrate diet for acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), according to a study in mice. The study, “Oral lipoteichoic and lipoic acids…
A liver biopsy helped doctors diagnose a 75-year-old man who arrived at the hospital with abdominal pain and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) with protoporphyria, a type of porphyria. He recovered without treatment as his liver function improved spontaneously, according to a case report. “This report highlights…
Testing umbilical cord blood can help identify newborns with undiagnosed erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) or X-linked protoporphyria (XLP), two inherited forms of porphyria marked by extreme sensitivity to light, according to a small study from the U.K. While symptoms of these diseases generally emerge at 1 year of age, extremely…
Disc Medicine has received a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following its submission of a new drug application seeking accelerated approval of bitopertin, an investigational oral small molecule being developed for the treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) in patients ages…
PORT-77, an oral small molecule therapy being developed to treat erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked protoporphyria (XLP), by Gondolabio through its affiliate Portal Therapeutics, has been granted both orphan drug and fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Orphan drug designation supports therapies for rare…
Skin damage in variegate porphyria (VP) is worsened by impaired formation of the protective outer skin layers, according to a study using skin cells. The study, “Reduced PPOX expression causes intrinsic pathogenicity in keratinocytes, contributing to the cutaneous Variegate Porphyria phenotype,” was published in the Journal…
A man with genetically confirmed porphyria was treated for blocked heart arteries using stents — thin, mesh-like tubes — that slowly release medication inside the coronary arteries supplying the heart to keep the blood vessels open, according to a report. The stents, coated with everolimus or sirolimus, two drugs…
Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) attacks triggered by surgery can easily be confused with typical postoperative complications, a case report showed. A 34-year-old woman had abdominal pain and low blood sodium levels after gallbladder removal surgery. Doctors initially suspected postoperative complications, but the woman revealed she’d had previous attacks of…
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