On behalf of Radius Health, Inc: Boston, Mass., July 22, 2021 — Radius Health, Inc. announced Wednesday, July 21, 2021 that it has recently received the written meeting minutes from a June Type C meeting held with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding RAD011, a synthetic cannabidiol oral solution. RAD011 is initially to...
More than $3 billion in funding is set to be dispersed to schools around the country to meet the needs of students with disabilities after the fallout from COVID-19. Some of the funding will be used to support:Special Education programs for students between 3- and 21-years-oldPreschool offerings, specifically for infants and toddlers with disabilities
Rare Disease Week will take place July 14, 2021 – July 22, 2021 and it’s a chance to make your voice heard! EveryLife Foundation will be leading Rare Disease Week, which educates those of the rare disease community on federal legislative issues, meet other advocates, and share their unique stories with legislators. If you are...
FDA agrees to review additional data to determine adequacy for submission of NDA Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. provided an update on Tuesday, July 7, 2021 following a recent interaction with the FDA regarding the development of DCCR, a potential treatment for PWS. According to Soleno Therapeutics, on July 2, 2021 they received news from The FDA,...
Read Levo Therapeutic, Inc.’s Full Article HERE. CHICAGO, IL, July 6, 2021 (Newswire.com) – Levo Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to using genetic insights to advance treatments for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and related disorders, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) for review and...
On June 17, 2021, PWSA | USA and FPWR held a Patient Listening Session with the FDA to share our community’s experiences related to Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The purpose of this meeting was to promote dialogue between the FDA and members of the PWS patient community to ensure the FDA has a full understanding of...
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Moris Angulo M.D. has opened a new clinic, located in Bablyon, NY, and is accepting patients. Location: Center for Pediatric Specialty Care, 655 Deer Park Avenue, Babylon, NY 11702 To schedule an appointment, call 631-321-2100 ——————————————– Moris A. Angulo, M.D., was born in El Salvador, Central América and...
We request the flexibility afforded to other orphan indications when considering whether applications for treatments for PWS should be accepted for review. In a continuation of our joint advocacy efforts supporting the full review of potential drugs for PWS, FPWR and PWSA | USA have submitted a petition letter to the FDA requesting that they...
Click Here to View and Download Harmony Biosciences’ PWS Trial Infographic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2021 Sarasota, Florida: Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA (PWSA | USA) is pleased to announce its upcoming 36th National Convention is moving to an all-new virtual format. Due to the ongoing health concerns brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization will provide members of the Prader-Willi syndrome community with a variety...
Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company developing medicines for rare genetic disorders of obesity, has won FDA approval for its first product, Imcivree (setmelanotide), following a priority review. The drug is designed to restore a biological pathway that, when disrupted, can lead to constant hunger. The approval covers the treatment of three types of ultrarare early...
The types of vaccines now available against COVID-19 use mRNA technology. This type of vaccine has been under development for many years and, unlike other immunizations, does not place a weak or inactive germ into the body, but instead teaches cells in our body to make an immune response that then produces antibodies which provide protection if...
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA and CHICAGO, IL, December 15, 2020 — Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. (“Harmony”) (Nasdaq: HRMY), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients living with rare neurological disorders who have unmet medical needs, today announced the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 2 trial evaluating the safety...
PWSA | USA Presents “Hope for the Holidays” Virtual Concert FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sarasota, Florida – Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA is thrilled to announce its first-ever benefit concert, Hope for the Holidays. The virtual event premiers on YouTube and Facebook live on December 13, 2020 and will help raise funds for PWSA | USA...
For Immediate Release PWSA | USA Introduces Twenty-Four Hour Family Support [Sarasota, Florida, October 30, 2020] Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA (PWSA | USA) announced today it will begin providing 24-hour Family Support services to individuals and families in the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community. “The past year has been challenging for everyone, and this is...
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA (PWSA | USA) and the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) have partnered to conduct a study to measure interest in telehealth as a way of increasing access to care from Prader-Willi syndrome specialists. In addition, the project aims to better understand the demographic makeup of the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) parent...
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Levo Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to using genetic insights to advance treatments for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and related disorders, announced today top-line results from the Phase 3 CARE-PWS clinical study evaluating LV-101 (intranasal carbetocin) for the treatment of PWS. This syndrome is a complex, neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in approximately 1 in...
Earlier this year, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals experienced a temporary interruption in the supply of the Genotropin 5 and 12mg cartridges, as well as all Mini Quick devices. According to the Commercial Brand Lead for the US, Michael Harris of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the interruption was due to a manufacturing issue in fall of 2019 at the Pfizer...
Though the study did not meet statistical significance for Primary Endpoint, significant improvements were seen in a prespecified subgroup with severe hyperphagia. Significant positive changes were also seen in two of three key secondary endpoints. Interim analysis of Ongoing Extension Study (C602) showed further reductions in hyperphagia of 48% after six months of DCCR treatment....
Volunteer Appreciation Week: Thank YOU for being Part of our CommUNITY! Over 45 years ago, PWSA (USA) was founded by volunteers. It remained a fully volunteer-run organization until 1980 when our first paid Executive Director was hired (the next paid staff wasn’t hired until 1984!). While the number of staff has grown to 14, our...
Take Part in the 2020 Giving Challenge! Noon to Noon, April 28-29
Direct support professional (DSP) is an umbrella term that includes many different titles and functions; for example: direct care, direct support worker/specialist/assistant/counselor, habilitation specialist, residential counselor, activities of daily living specialist, relief staff, apartment worker, developmental disabilities specialist, job coach, employment specialist, community bridge-builder, paid friend/neighbor, family care provider, family support services aide, community companion,...
Fathers who have an adolescent with PWS age 13-18 are invited to participate in a 4-session, online, small group training exercise to reduce father’s perception of stress, improve parenting satisfaction and increase family involvement. Participants must reside at home with their adolescent and the adolescent’s mother, have a personal computer with a camera, microphone and internet...
PWSA (USA) welcomes its first official Corporate Partner; Prader-Willi Homes of Oconomowoc, at the PWSA (USA) Board of Directors meeting on September 14th. A premier residential facility located in Dousman, Wisconsin, Prader-Willi Homes of Oconomowoc has been supporting individuals with PWS and their families for over 35 years. PWSA (USA) works with Corporate Partners to...
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Over the years, as a special-needs parent navigating the Special Education system for Sophie, Jennifer became interested in learning as much as possible about that process. She began by attending PWSA (USA)’s first Wyatt Special Education Advocacy Training in March of 2013, and went on to complete a rigorous 9-month Special Education Advocacy Training course with the Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys in May of 2015. This included successfully completing an advocacy internship with PWSA (USA). Jennifer is referred school cases by PWSA (USA)’s Family Support Counselors, and then works closely with parents and schools to review education records, assess the child’s situation at school, provide further information about how the syndrome affects the school experience, and, as needed, create improved IEPs and behavioral plans. Jennifer was excited to take on this role of helping parents in the PWS community to work collaboratively with school professionals and parents to create positive, effective learning environments for children with PWS across the country. Jennifer is a graduate of the WSEAT program.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Past president of the Education Law Association and co-chair of the Pennsylvania special education appeals panel from 1990 to 2007, he is the author of the CEC monograph The Legal Meaning of Specific Learning Disability; the more recently published books, A Digest of Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education and Student Teaching and the Law; and the two-volume reference Section 504, the ADA and theSchools, now in its fourth edition. In 2012, he received Research into Practice Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Excellence in Research Award from AERA’s Division A (Administration, Organization & Leadership). In 2013, he received the University Council for Educational Administration’s Edwin Bridges award for significant contributions to the preparation and development of school leaders. In 2016, he received the Education Law Association’s Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law, and in 2017 he received the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Research Award. Note:Perry’s website is perryzirkel.com
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
She obtained her PhD from Capella University in Education focusing her research on Prader-Willi Syndrome. Dr. McTighe is also a graduate of the William & Mary Law School’s Institute for Special Education Advocacy. Dr. McTighe is currently the chair of the Special Education Advisory Board for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association-(USA). Amy is the Chair of PWSA (USA)’s Special Education Advisory Board.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Staci Zimmerman has lived in Denver, CO for the past 17 years. She lives with her husband and 5 year old daughter. Staci attended The University of Kansas, with a B.A in sociology and an M.ed in Special Education, with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Staci enjoys teaching fitness classes, and keeping a healthy, active lifestyle in Colorado.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.
Before founding SDLC, Jim was the Executive Director of Advocacy, Inc., the Texas Protection and Advocacy program from 1989-2001. During that period, he managed the growth of the program from 34 staff to a staff of 94 and from a centralized operation with one office to a regionalized operation with eleven offices spread across Texas.
From 1981-1989, Jim worked for the Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled (Louisiana’s Protection and Advocacy program) as its Legal Director. From 1979 to 1981 Jim worked as a staff attorney for the Louisiana Center for the Public Interest.
Jim graduated from Tulane University School of Law in 1977, and has a BA in Accounting & Economics from the University of Puget Sound.
Jim is the author of publications and training materials on the IDEA, the ADA, and Section 504, including: Keeping Students with Disabilities in School: Legal Strategies and Effective Educational Practices for Preventing the Suspension of Students with Disabilities – A Resource Manual (2014); Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Laws (2006), co–authored with Rhonda Brownstein from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jim has served as lead or co-counsel in several major IDEA actions in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on behalf of thousands of students with disabilities, including Angel G. v. Texas Education Agency; Luke S. v. Louisiana Department of Education and Mattie T. v. Mississippi Department of Education. The past decade, he also filed and favorably settled five systemic administrative complaints in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. These systemic complaints were filed under IDEA’s state complaint procedures.
Jim has also made over two hundred presentations at statewide, regional and national conferences on IDEA, Section 504, and ADA issues. The past four years he has also served as one of the faculty members at William and Mary Law School’s week long Institute on Special Education Advocacy.
