illness

Big donation from the JAV of the BVG

  The youth and trainee representatives (JAV) of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) presented us with a very generous donation on December 12th, 2019. At the annual cake bazaar organized by the JAV,WEITER

DGHO guideline on PNH updated

The German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) has updated the guideline for PNH . The recommendations for diagnosis and therapy were brought up to date.

Co-payments for eculizumab and ravulizumab

After eculizumab (Soliris®) was approved in June 2007, a second C5 complement inhibitor has been available for patients with ravulizumab (Ultomiris®) since July 2019. The co-payments differ even more significantly for the new drug than they have been up to now. WEITER

Foundation of the PNH Global Alliance

In June, representatives of international PNH patient organisations met in Amsterdam to found the PNH Global Alliance. In addition to us, the lichterzellen foundation from Germany was represented. Colleagues from Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and Spain were on site, while representatives from Canada and Russia were connected via video telephony. The goals of the Global Alliance include WEITER

Update of PNH guideline

 

Guidelines are summaries of the current scientific knowledge about a disease – in addition to a complete list of possible symptoms and the most targeted diagnostic methods, you can read about the best possible treatment options according to the current state of knowledge. They serve primarily as a non-binding guide for doctors, but also contain interesting information for patients. Every now and then, guidelines are updated so that the findings of new studies can be incorporated into everyday medical practice - this is exactly what happened this month for the PNH guideline of the German Society of Haematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) . The last version was still from November 2019 and a revision was necessary in particular to bring recommendations on the use of new drug therapy options up to the status of 2022: Specifically, we are talking about pegcetacoplan, the new C3 complement inhibitor, which has been approved in the EU since December 2021 under the trade name Aspaveli® and, according to the manufacturer Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi), is expected to be available as a therapy option in Germany from April 2022. WEITER

Approval of pegcetacoplan for PNH patients

On 13 December 2021 a new drug for the treatment of adult patients with PNH was approved in the EU: The substance pegcetacoplan which inhibits specific processes in the immune system will probably be available in Germany in the beginning of 2022. Its trade name is Aspaveli®.

The drug is a so-called C3 complement inhibitor: The complement system is part of the body's own immune system which in PNH attacks the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and destroys them. Pegcetacoplan inhibits a certain part of the complement system and thereby the destruction of red blood cells outside the blood vessels (extravascular), leading to an improved life cycle of the erythrocytes and improved haemoglobin levels.

Pegecetacoplan is approved for patients who remain anaemic despite treatment with a C5 inhibitor (eculizumab or ravulizumab) for at least 3 months. C5 is also part of the complement system. The drug is administered twice a week as a subcutaneous infusion. Among the most common side effects are reactions at the injection site, infections of the upper respiratory tract, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.

"Summary of product characteristics" by the European Medicines Agency EMA.

The drug is not entirely new: On 5 April of this year, we already reported in detail on the mechanism of action and the current studies on it in a blog post on our website.

12th Essen PNH/AA Seminar – Summary

WEITER

Studying with an invisible disability – a student explains

 

A disability - what is it actually? This question is not so easy to answer, because what is commonly understood as a disability can come in many forms and expressions - and then there is also the type of disability that is not noticed at first glance: we are talking about the so-called "invisible disability" . Examples of this are chronic illnesses and disabilities, which are associated with fatigue and rapid exhaustion and thus impair social participation. Aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria can also be included. While in the case of invisible disabilities the possible stigmatization by others does not apply from minute one of getting to know each other, this non-recognition of the disability also leads to expectations that are sometimes overwhelming. Ly Tran has to struggle with this again and again: Ly is a linguistics student and reports in the podcast seriesWEITER

Lectures of the Ulm Patient Day online

In connection with the Day of Rare Diseases , the Ulm University Hospital held another AA / PNH patient seminar on March 6th, 2021. Due to the pandemic, it took place in virtual form for the first time and also attracted numerous participants in this format.

The lectures of the varied program are available for download on the website of the Center for Rare Diseases of the Ulm University Hospital .