News

Eurordis, a Paris-based coalition of national rare disease associations across Europe, hosted its first all-virtual conference, bringing some 1,500 delegates from 57 countries together online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 10th European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products (ECRD2020) — which was set for May 14–15 in…

The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) has opened an online survey to better understand how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting people with rare diseases, their families, and caregivers. Survey questions cover a patient’s physical and mental health, supply of treatments, and access to healthcare, among other…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to Seelos Therapeutics‘ SLS-005 (trehalose) to treat Sanfilippo syndrome, the company has announced. Orphan drug designation aims to encourage the development of therapies for rare and serious diseases, through benefits such as seven years of market…

Orchard Therapeutics announced the dosing of a first patient in a clinical trial evaluating its investigational cell-based gene therapy OTL-201 for Sanfilippo syndrome type A. OTL-201’s safety, tolerability, and efficacy is being investigated in the open-label, Phase 1/2 study (NCT04201405) taking place at Manchester University NHS…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has opened a financial assistance program for people in rare disease community who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. Called the NORD COVID-19 Critical Relief Program, the effort will provide up to $1,000 annually to those eligible to…

An 11-year-old girl with Sanfilippo syndrome type A who received a stem cell transplant as an infant maintained her cognitive skills and motor function, and improved her quality of life compared to six children who did not have the transplant, a case study reports. In the…