Weed Killer Proves Beneficial For Rare Liver Disease
WASHINGTON, DC-Parents of children born with tyrosinemia were warned that those inflicted with the hereditary disease have a 29% survival rate. The rare liver disease prevents the body from properly breaking down specific amino acids.
However, a rare solution may help fight the rare disease. Researchers at Sweden's Gothenberg University noticed a failed herbicide, produced by Zeneca Inc., broke down the same amino acid compounds. The drug Orfadin was created from the failed weed killer, and patented by a mall Nashville-based pharmaceutical company-Rare Disease Therapeutics.
Hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 causes progressive liver failure and liver cancer in young children. Yet in Orfadin studies, 89% of those inflicted lived four years or more. The drug blocks specific liver-destroying proteins. Previous treatments centered on no-protein diets, but were rarely successful.
The drug will cost $12,000 per year for infants, but Rare Disease Therapeutic vice president Bo Allen has said no child will be turned away from treatment.
The company received a special seven-year patent on the drug through an FDA program for rare diseases.
There are an estimated 100 children with the disease.
Information from www.msnbc.com
CDC Urges Vigilance: New Recommendations for Monitoring and Testing H5N1 Exposures
July 11th 2025With avian influenza A(H5N1) infections surfacing in both animals and humans, the CDC has issued updated guidance calling for aggressive monitoring and targeted testing to contain the virus and protect public health.
IP LifeLine: Layoffs and the Evolving Job Market Landscape for Infection Preventionists
July 11th 2025Infection preventionists, once hailed as indispensable during the pandemic, now face a sobering reality: budget pressures, hiring freezes, and layoffs are reshaping the field, leaving many IPs worried about their future and questioning their value within health care organizations.
A Helping Hand: Innovative Approaches to Expanding Hand Hygiene Programs in Acute Care Settings
July 9th 2025Who knew candy, UV lights, and a college kid in scrubs could double hand hygiene adherence? A Pennsylvania hospital’s creative shake-up of its infection prevention program shows that sometimes it takes more than soap to get hands clean—and keep them that way.
