The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), an arm of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), favors granting marketing authorization to lanadelumab for routine prevention of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in patients ages 12 and older. Shire’s lanadelumab is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to…
With the U.S. midterm elections now less than two weeks away, patient advocacy groups are solidly focused on a range of hot-button issues, from the Orphan Drug Tax Credit and affordable health insurance to future funding for rare disease research. Yet “whether Democrats take over the House or Senate,…
Despite being more prone to developing heart disease, patients with hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) show normal blood vessel function, a study reveals. The study, “Flow mediated vasodilation assay indicates no endothelial dysfunction in hereditary angioedema patients with C1-inhibitor deficiency,” was published in Annals…
Ruconest (recombinant C1-inhibitor, rhC1-INH) and Firazyr (icatibant) are safe and effective approaches as first-line treatment for hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in pregnant women, a study suggests. Findings of the study, “Treatment of Hereditary Angioedema Attacks with Icatibant and Recombinant C1 Inhibitor During Pregnancy,” were published in the Journal of…
The mother of a 28-year old pregnant woman suspected her daughter had hereditary angioedema after doing an internet search while the daughter was hospitalized. The diagnosis was quickly dismissed by clinicians, who considered it extremely unlikely, but it later proved to be correct. This case report highlights the importance of…
Angioedema seems to predict poorer responses and lower chances of remission in chronic urticaria patients receiving Xolair (omalizumab), a retrospective study shows. The study, “Angioedema is an unfavorable factor for the response to omalizumab in chronic spontaneous urticaria: a retrospective study,” was published in the journal…
Valsartan, a medication used to treat high blood pressure, caused angioedema in the neck and face of a patient who was receiving surgery on his lower back, a Jordanian case report shows. The study, “Intraoperative angioedema induced by angiotensin II receptor blocker: a case report,” was published in…
Half a year has gone by since disgraced pharma executive Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for securities and wire fraud while heading San Diego-based Retrophin. As founder and CEO of another company (then known as Turing Pharmaceuticals), in late 2015 Shkreli bought the rights to…
Deletion mutations in the SERPING1 gene lead to lower function levels of the C1 inhibitor protein, which, in turn, might have a negative impact on the progression and severity of hereditary angioedema (HAE), a study reveals. The study, “Deletions in SERPING1 Lead to Lower C1 Inhibitor Function:…
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) can present itself as a sudden and severe abdominal pain, even in the absence of other typical symptoms, such as swelling in the skin and mucosal linings, a case study from Japan has found. According to the authors, physicians should not overlook these uncharacteristic symptoms and…
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