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A peptide — a short chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins — called BPC 157 may prevent or counteract pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and its complications, according to a preclinical study in a rat model of the disease. The findings suggest that BPC 157 may…

Registration is now open for the 2021 Rare Diseases and Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit, which will be held virtually Oct. 18–19. The event, also known as the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Summit, brings the rare disease community together to network and discuss developments in treatments and research…

Note: This story was updated Aug. 11, 2021, to clarify that the researchers are not affiliated with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Two new researchers at Virginia Tech will be focusing their studies on the mechanisms of heart and vascular diseases — including the role of RNA molecules…

Certain chemokines — signaling molecules that attract white blood cells to sites of infection — may be blood markers of both a person’s risk of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and this disease’s likely course in a patient, a study found. PAH is considered idiopathic when its cause is unknown…

More than 600 people participated in the 10th annual Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill 2021, held virtually July 14–22, to advocate for the rare disease community. Hosted by the EveryLife Foundation’s Rare Disease Legislative Advocates (RDLA) program, the event brings together community members from across the U.S. to…

Pulnovo Medical recently raised an undisclosed amount totaling millions of dollars in investment funding to support clinical trials and product development related to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). “The road of global medical innovation has never been an easy journey,” Cynthia Chen, Pulnovo’s executive president, said in a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an intravenous form of Uptravi (selexipag) — one infused directly into the bloodstream — for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) temporarily unable to take oral medicines. The new intravenous, or IV, formulation is intended to prevent treatment interruptions in adults…

PulmoSIM Therapeutics has joined with scientists at National Jewish Health hospital and Brown University to advance PT001, its investigational and potentially disease-modifying therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), into clinical trials. The partnership follows PT001 being designated an orphan drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Orphan drug status…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is applauding the Biden administration for announcing a rule to protect consumers from surprise medical billing, in a joint statement with 26 other U.S. patient organizations. The interim final rule will implement patient protections required by the No Surprises Act. Surprise…

A protein called TIFA is elevated in the blood cells of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), suggesting this protein is involved in the biological processes that drive the disease, according to a new study. The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports, in the study, “…

An investigational therapy called R-107 completely stopped the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat model and may become the first medicine to reverse the increasing blood pressure characteristic of the disease, a study suggested. Now, R-107’s developer, Claritas Pharmaceuticals, plans to begin clinical testing…

In people experiencing a pulmonary embolism, higher-than-normal arterial stiffness at the time of hospital discharge increased the risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) when evaluated one month later, according to a study in Italy. Given that this patient population is at risk of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension…