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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a vast government bureaucracy, employs about 17,500 people and had a budget of $5.7 billion in 2019. Yet even with its enormous resources, the FDA these days relies more and more on patients to…

With about $18 million expected to be awarded in grants supporting research across neuromuscular diseases in 2020, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) continues to be a leader in efforts to better treat and otherwise ease life for those touched by Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) as well…

The gleaming new Dutch headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), fronting Domenico Scarlattilaan in Amsterdam’s suburban Zuidas business district, finally opened for business last month — just over two years after the European Union decided to relocate the EMA to the Netherlands in the wake of Brexit.

Elevated levels of antibodies against certain proteins in the blood — SOX2, GABAb and N-type VGCC —  may help to more quickly identify small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in people with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), a study suggests. The study “Neuronal antibody detection and improved lung cancer prediction in…

A case of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) that occurred secondary to lung cancer highlights the need for comprehensive antibody testing when doctors suspect that the immune system might be attacking the nervous system. The case was described in Thoracic Cancer, in the paper, “Anti-SOX1 antibody-positive paraneoplastic neurological syndrome…

Patients with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) live as long as people who do not have the disease, and can lead a relatively normal life  despite having some physical limitations, a study contends. The study, “Long‐term follow‐up, quality of life, and survival of patients with Lambert‐Eaton myasthenic syndrome,” was…

The HealthWell Foundation is offering financial assistance to eligible Lambert-Eaton myasthenic  syndrome (LEMS) patients in the United States to help with treatment costs. The new fund, which assists with insurance copayments and premiums, provides up to $12,000 in a yearlong grant to those who…

With so much recent publicity surrounding gene therapy, it’s no surprise that the topic was a major focus of the recent 2019 NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit. From diagnosis and clinical trial design to manufacturing, pricing strategies, and ethical concerns, gene therapy — both its high…

Despite skyrocketing healthcare costs, President Trump is committed to protecting the 30 million or so Americans with rare diseases and ensuring timely, affordable access to lifesaving treatments, the nation’s highest-ranking health official said. “We have to think about how our financing system can protect those with serious and rare illnesses.

A rare case of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was discovered in a patient with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (PCD-LEMS) — the first report to link the cancer to late-onset PCD-LEMS, according to researchers. Their study, “Non-small cell lung cancer associated with late-onset Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome…