The recent coverage for treatment for autism is a good first step, but it is sorely lacking in its depth ("The long wait for autism therapy; Insurers are scrambling to aid families in Michigan," Feb. 17). The only psychological treatment authorized by the recent law is for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). As the article pointed out, there are very few ABA providers. ABA treatment is not appropriate for all children with autism, and there are many good programs to assist these children -- for a lot less money. Other appropriate treatments were intentionally left out of the law and are not covered. As only Children's Hospital and Beaumont Hospital have the most ABA therapists, I can only conclude that this was no accident. For most children with autism, where ABA may be appropriate, ABA treatment generally tops out at age 7 or 8. Very few children will be able to access any treatment under the current legislation. For children on Medicare, it will top out at age 6. There is a tidal wave of children on the spectrum who are approaching their teens and young adult years who have no coverage, no treatment, and who will be putting further strain … Continue reading →

Autism and four other psychiatric disorders have similar genetic features, scientists discovered for the first time, opening up a potential new approach to drug treatment for these diseases. Variations in two genes involved in the balance of calcium in brain cells is common to a range of mental disorders including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia, according to the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, a group of scientists from around the world. The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the governments of other countries, was published today in The Lancet medical journal. The scientists scanned the genomes of more than 60,000 people, comparing the results of 33,332 patients with those of people who didnt have a mental disorder in the largest genetic analysis of psychiatric illness. The findings may help to reclassify these conditions on the basis of causes rather than collections of descriptive symptoms and may shape new ways of treating the diseases, the researchers said. Our results provide insights into the shared causation of psychiatric disorders, the scientists said in the published paper. Alterations in calcium-channel signaling could represent a fundamental mechanism contributing to a broad vulnerability to treatment. Calcium … Continue reading →

Big Story 4: TV Ad More than ever before, SwedishAmerican remains committed to our region. Rated among the nation's best for heart care, stroke treatment and women's health, SwedishAmerican has been consistently recognized for service excellence, quality and consumer preference. By: SwedishAmericanVideo … Continue reading →

Published: Feb. 27, 2013 at 12:06 PM SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Stroke patients or those with a transient ischemic attack who added Plavix to aspirin had less risk of a second stroke, U.S. and Chinese researchers say. Dr. S. Claiborne Johnston, director of the Stroke Service at the University of California, San Francisco, said a minor ischemic stroke is caused by a clot that blocks blood supply to the brain, but its effects are minimal. TIAs and minor strokes don't typically cause permanent harm, but early treatment is critical to prevent the possibility of a major stroke. "TIAs and minor strokes are emergencies," Johnston, the study's senior author, said in a statement. "If we start dual treatment early, it looks like we can reduce the risk of another stroke by more than 30 percent." In comparison, aspirin therapy alone cut stroke risk by about 20 percent, he said. The American Stroke Association said if a person had one or more TIAs, they're almost 10 times more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and sex who hasn't. The Plavix, or clopidogrel, study included 5,174 patients -- median age 62, 34 percent women -- with … Continue reading →

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the Companys New Drug Application (NDA) resubmission for STEDESA (eslicarbazepine acetate) for use as a once-daily adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 18 years and older with epilepsy. STEDESA is the proposed trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate. We are pleased to achieve this regulatory milestone for STEDESA, which, if approved, may offer adult patients living with epilepsy an effective, once-daily, adjunctive treatment option for managing partial-onset seizures, said Fred Grossman, D.O., FAPA, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Sunovion. Adequate seizure control of this most common form of epilepsy remains an unmet medical need for a significant number of patients and Sunovion is committed to providing a treatment option to help address this need. The NDA for STEDESA is supported by data from three Phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week maintenance trials of similar study design, which included more than 1,300 patients with partial-onset seizures in 35 countries, including the United States. Treatment with STEDESA demonstrated statistically significant reductions in standardized seizure frequency when used as adjunctive therapy. The most commonly reported … Continue reading →

Liestal, Switzerland, February27, 2013 - Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX:SANN) announced today the voluntary withdrawal of Catenafrom the Canadian market. This decision follows review of additional data from clinical trials in patients with Friedreich`s Ataxia, and subsequent consultation with Health Canada. Santhera Pharmaceuticals (Canada), Inc, the holder of conditional market authorization (Notice of Compliance with conditions, NOC/c) in Canada for Catena in the treatment of Friedreich`s Ataxia, will discontinue sales effective April30, 2013. Catena had been conditionally authorized in Canada in July 2008 on the basis that it demonstrated promising evidence of clinical effectiveness for the treatment of patients with Friedreich`s Ataxia. One of the conditions of authorization was to provide confirmatory evidence of this effectiveness in further clinical studies. However, the data from the program of studies conducted were not considered by Health Canada to provide such confirmation, and following consultation between Santhera and Health Canada, Santhera has agreed to voluntarily withdraw Catena from the Canadian market. No specific safety issues were identified that have prompted this action, and the withdrawal does not preclude the submission of a new application for market authorization in the future. A communication strategy for treating physicians and patients has been agreed with Health Canada. * … Continue reading →

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central What is the cost of rare diseases such as Friedreich's Ataxia? By analyzing direct and indirect costs of care research in BioMed Central's open access journal Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases calculated that conservatively this rare disease costs between 11,000 and 19,000 per person per year. Proper understanding resource allocation is important in minimizing the effect of Friedreich's Ataxia on people's lives while maximizing their quality of life. Diseases are classified as 'rare' if they affect less than 1 in 2000 people. Lack of scientific knowledge means that these diseases can be difficult to diagnose and treatment options are limited. Rare Disease Day, February 28th, aims to raise awareness of rare diseases and their impact on people's lives. Friedreich's Ataxia, caused by mutations in the gene encoding the protein frataxin, results in progressive damage to the nervous system. Although rare, it affects one in 50,000 people, and consequently is the most frequent of the inherited ataxias, which all affect a person's ability to control their muscles. Symptoms usually begin in childhood, and affected people need continual monitoring to assess and assist with developing … Continue reading →