Author Archives: Charles Moore

Kate Farms, which specializes in plant-based, ready-to-use oral and tube feeding formulas, has rolled out its Core Essentials Peptide 1.5 product. The high-caloric, peptide-based formula contains no dairy, soy, gluten, or other common allergens. With its approval by the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), it is now…

Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have developed a relatively inexpensive, easy-to-use system for diagnosing cystic fibrosis (CF), a technique that uses florescent light to measure levels of chloride in perspiration, which are known to be elevated in CF patients. The research was supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and…

The Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF) announced the Sacks for CF Scholarship for 2016-17, which are funding grants for college students who have cystic fibrosis (CF). Awards for undergraduates and graduates of $3,000 to $10,000 are given annually to 30 college students who strive for adherence to daily CF therapy,…

The 30th Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC), a three-day collaborative forum to help advance cystic fibrosis (CF) understanding, treatment and research, opens on Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. NACFC also provides participants access to continuing medical education, and the…

A team of 12 research partners in seven European countries are engaged in a project to develop a mobile app designed to promote autonomy and help people with cystic fibrosis (CF), their families and caregivers understand the disease and monitor treatment. The researchers are, however, finding that achieving their objective is no…

Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for its cystic fibrosis (CF) drug Orkambi to be used to treat children, ages 6 to 11, who have two copies (one inherited from each parent) of the F508del mutation in the CFTR gene. Having two…

ProQR Therapeutics announced that it plans to announce proof-of-concept results from tests of its lead candidate to treat cystic fibrosis (CF), QR-010, at a scientific conference this year, and is continuing to advance the development of this and other transformative RNA medicines for severe orphan diseases like CF and Leber’s…

Ireland’s National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) stirred the pot this week with its decision that the cost of the new cystic fibrosis (CF) drug Orkambi is not justified by its acknowledged benefits, and should not be paid for by the Irish Health Service Executive. The regulatory agency, whose mission is…

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (Technische Universiteit Eindhoven-TU/e), in the Netherlands, have developed a device that takes in water at one end and ‘pumps’ it to the other, maintaining the flow without external power. This so-called ‘sweat sensor’ could be a useful tool in assessing certain conditions,…

A new technique using relatively inexpensive Microsoft Xbox Kinect gaming devices could soon be used to assess the respiratory health of patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Researchers at the Institute of Digital Healthcare, WMG at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, the Institute of…