Calling All Innovators For The “CAREGIVERS SHARK TANK”

The National Caregivers Conference is inviting innovators, inventors, researchers and thought leaders to share their new ideas, products, technology’s, or therapeutic concepts that aim to transform the health and role of family caregivers. The National Caregivers Conference is returning to New Jersey since Superstorm Sandy forced its cancellation in October 2012. This annual conference is renowned for its National level speakers, workshops and exhibitors who address both individual and national issues facing the caregiver community. […]

A Parent’s Perspective: What To Do If Your Child Is Diagnosed With A Rare Disorder

BY LAUREN AGORATUS, M.A. It’s hard enough on family caregivers when their child receives a new diagnosis. The challenge is made even more difficult when the condition is rare. “Rare disorders” are conditions that are rare or unusual, affecting small numbers of children. This could make it even more challenging to find information from good sources. Genetic resources may also be helpful in gathering information on rare diseases, particularly to help determine whether there is […]

ULTRAGENYX Announces FDA Approval Of MEPSEVII™

Mepsevii (Vestronidase Alfa) is the First Therapy for Progressive and Debilitating Rare Genetic Disease Mucopolysaccharidosis Vii Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel products for rare and ultra-rare diseases, recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved MEPSEVII™ (vestronidase alfa), the first medicine approved for the treatment of children and adults with Mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPS VII, Sly syndrome). MEPSEVII is an enzyme replacement therapy designed to […]

Training First Responders To Respond Bettter

“The SNAP Program makes a vital contribution to the armamentarium of best practices addressing the unique needs of special populations and their ability to thrive and participate in the community. It will become a time-honored component in the first responders’ toolkit.” – Rick Rader, MD, Medical Liaison, SNAP Program BY BRUCE GARNER Even under the best of circumstances, it is challenging to be a good parent, but when your child has special needs, it gets […]

Rare Disease Caregiving Study

To study the impact of rare disease on unpaid friends and family members who provide care (known as “family caregivers”), the National Alliance for Caregiving and Global Genes, are launching a “first-of-its-kind” national snapshot of rare disease caregivers. This fall, the two groups plan to release a national survey aimed at collecting feedback from over 1,000 family caregivers of children and adults with rare diseases. The survey will be open from Wednesday, September 13 through […]