On June 28, 2024, Soleno Therapeutics announced the company officially submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for DCCR (diazoxide choline) extended-release tablets. This new treatment targets Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in individuals aged 4 and older with hyperphagia. CEO Anish Bhatnagar, M.D., says, “Submission of the DCCR NDA to...
Kasey Bedard, PhD, and her team at The Chicago School are seeking caregivers of children diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) who exhibit repetitive verbal behavior for a research study at The Chicago School. This study, part of a dissertation project, aims to test interventions that caregivers can implement at home. Study Details: – Duration: 2-3...
Aardvark Therapeutics has just hit a major milestone with an exciting $85 million Series C financing round! Led by Decheng Capital, with additional participation from several investors, including PWSA | USA, this funding is set to drive the development of ARD-101, a groundbreaking treatment for hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome patients. ARD-101 showed promising early trial...
PWSA | USA is currently seeking research project applications with direct impacts on individuals and families affected by PWS. We are offering mini-fellowship grants to support providers in enhancing their understanding of PWS through clinical proctorships. Research priorities include expanding knowledge about PWS, applying therapies, and attracting new providers and investigators to the field. Funding...
Big news! Soleno Therapeutics has announced a groundbreaking achievement: diazoxide choline (DCCR) has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). This marks a significant milestone as the FIRST-EVER designation for a drug developed for PWS. The designation underscores the FDA’s recognition of PWS as a serious condition and the potential...
Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. is seeking participants for its TEMPO study, a global Phase 3 trial investigating pitolisant as a potential treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in individuals aged six years and older with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Pitolisant is a medication that could help manage sleepiness and behavioral issues in people with PWS. There...
Join PWSA | USA and the team from Harmony Biosciences on Tuesday, March 12th at 8:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PST to learn more about the upcoming Phase 3 registrational TEMPO study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, global clinical study that will further assess the safety and efficacy of pitolisant in patients with PWS,...
Pitolisant from Harmony Biosciences Receives Orphan Drug Status from FDA for Treatment of PWS The FDA has granted Orphan Drug status to pitolisant, the trial drug from Harmony Biosciences to treat excessive daytime sleepiness (EDA) and behavioral disturbances. The designation shows that the FDA considers pitolisant to be a promising treatment for people with PWS. ...
Neuren Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce their third site participating in their Phase II, Open Label, PWS Study (Neu-2591-PWS-001) is now open for screening! Important information regarding this exciting milestone: Three sites are now open to enrollment! Rare Disease Research (RDR), located in Atlanta, GA, and Uncommon Cures, located in Chevy Chase, MD (8 miles outside of Washington, D.C.) and...
Neuren Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce their second site participating in their Phase II, Open Label, PWS Study (Neu-2591-PWS-001) is now open for screening! Important information regarding this exciting milestone: Two sites are now open to enrollment! Rare Disease Research (RDR), located in Atlanta, GA, and Uncommon Cures, located in Chevy Chase, MD (8 miles outside...
This week, Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of its Phase 3 COMPASS PWS study! This study focuses on evaluating the efficacy and safety of carbetocin nasal spray (ACP-101) for treating hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome. The COMPASS PWS trial is a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled global Phase 3 trial, with approximately 170 participants aged five to...
About Harmony Biosciences Patients at the Heart Grant Via Harmony Biosciences Press Release: Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. (“Harmony”) (Nasdaq: HRMY), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients with rare neurological diseases, has selected the latest round of nonprofit organizations for its Patients at the Heart and Progress at the Heart...
Exciting news for the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community! Newly unveiled data from Harmony Biosciences' phase 2 study reveals promising impacts of pitolisant (Wakix) on PWS patients with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Harmony Biosciences plans to kick off its phase 3 TEMPO study later this year, aiming to dive deeper into the potential of this treatment...
This new website gives in-depth details about Acadia Pharmaceuticals COMPASS PWS Study, including a brief video about the study, eligibility for participation in the study, what to expect at study visits, and a research site locator. Click the button below to enter the website. ABOUT THE COMPASS PWS STUDY: The COMPASS PWS study aims to...
Harmony Biosciences has presented new secondary endpoint data concerning the use of pitolisant, an investigational drug, for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in Prader-Willi syndrome. According to a recent press release Harmony Biosciences released, the Phase 2 signal-detection study showed improvements in behavioral disturbances, especially in the higher-dose pitolisant group, as well as...
Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. has revealed positive outcomes from the randomized withdrawal phase of Study C602, an extended treatment study of DCCR (Diazoxide Choline) Extended-Release tablets for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The results, which showed a significant improvement in hyperphagia-related behaviors in the DCCR group compared to the placebo group, support Soleno's plan to submit a New...
Important information regarding this exciting milestone: Rare Disease Research (RDR), located in Atlanta, GA, is now welcoming children with PWS and their families to their clinicfor screening into this trial. The duration of active treatment in this study is 13 weeks. In a preclinical study in animals, physiological and behavioral symptoms were normalized within six...
Harmony Biosciences has reaffirmed its confidence in the strength of WAKIX® (Pitolisant) patents, after receiving a positive ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejecting the request for reexamination. WAKIX® is used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or cataplexy in adults with Narcolepsy. Read Harmony Biosciences' community-facing statement below: We are pleased...
Aardvark Therapeutics recently announced the drug company has received Pediatric Disease Designation for PWS from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and will expand its Phase 2 clinical trial of oral ARD-101 in young adults with PWS. According to Aardvark Therapeutics, this FDA designation means the company is eligible for a Rare Pediatric Disease...
You or someone you love could be part of developing new therapies for Prader-Willi syndrome. Learn about Gedeon Richter's research study KITE-PWS, also known as RGH-706-003, to evaluate an experimental drug for hyperphagia in people with Prader-Willi syndrome. The oral drug RGH-706 works by blocking melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), which is a key part in the...
PWSA | USA received information from Harmony Biosciences that the company announced positive findings from the Phase 2 study of its drug pitolisant, a treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The data was presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). According to Harmony...
PWSA | USA is excited to announce the launch of our new Healthcare Provider Project ECHO Series on May 16, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. CST. We are proud to offer this opportunity to healthcare professionals who work with patients affected by Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and to be the first PWS organization to implement Project ECHO®...
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is asking parents and caregivers in the PWS community to participate in a brief survey to investigate challenges that parents have when completing daily self-care skills with their child with PWS. This survey is for parents and caregivers with a child between the ages of 12-25 living with PWS....
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is looking for PWS caregivers to participate in a asynchronous computer training on medication and data collection procedures. Upon completion, you will be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card! Click the button below to learn more about this opportunity and to find the training link. Thank you!
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.
