News

Surgical treatment and the extent of brain damage are key factors linked to a high risk of acquired hypothalamic obesity (AHO) in children with tumors affecting the hypothalamus, according to a new study. The research reveals that nearly half of these pediatric patients develop AHO, with the condition emerging…

Treatment with Imcivree (setmelanotide), Rhythm Pharmaceuticals’ approved injection therapy for acquired hypothalamic obesity (aHO), helped children and adults with the rare obesity disorder lose body weight over as long as 2.5 years, according to new data from clinical trials. In addition, Rhythm‘s experimental oral treatment bivamelagon…

People with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) show a wide range of cognitive skills, but verbal skills do not seem to represent a particular weakness compared with other intellectual skills, according to a study based on standard intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. Lower scores on nonverbal tasks may be partly explained by…

Imcivree (setmelanotide) reduced the risk of metabolic complications such as diabetes or steatotic liver disease in people with acquired hypothalamic obesity (aHO), according to new analyses from a global clinical trial. In real-world analyses, Imcivree was also associated with reductions in body mass index (BMI) — a…

A team of international medical specialists and patient-led organizations has developed a simplified decision-making process incorporating updated clinical and genetic evidence to help clinicians worldwide reach a timely and accurate diagnosis of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS). The development of the new evidence-based diagnostic algorithm was described in the study, “…

Palatin Technologies plans to move two experimental obesity-targeting therapies into clinical testing for Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) and hypothalamic obesity (HO) over the next two years, with the launch of early trials involving people with BBS and HO. The drug candidates will also be developed as potential treatments for…

The European Commission (EC) has approved Imcivree (setmelanotide) to treat obesity and control hunger in people ages 4 years or older with acquired hypothalamic obesity (aHO) caused by damage to the brain’s appetite-control center. “This EC authorization is an important step toward making the first new treatment option available…

People with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) caused by a mutation called p.(Met390Arg) in both copies of the BBS1 gene may develop vision symptoms later and reach major vision loss at older ages than people with other BBS1 mutation combinations, according to a new study. Data indicate that patients with this…

Certain variations in the DNA sequence of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene increase the risk for obesity in patients with type 2 diabetes, a South Korean study reports. The study, “The Associations Between Vitamin D Receptor BsmI and ApaI Polymorphisms and Obesity in Korean Patients with…

A case study of a baby with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) highlights the unusual respiratory features that result from inheriting two mutant copies of the BBS10 gene.  The report, “Bardet-Biedl syndrome presenting with laryngeal web…