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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.

Intermediate monocytes, a type of immune cell, may contribute to the development and progression of sarcoidosis through the production of TARC — a molecule that attracts other specific immune cells linked to inflammation, according to a small study. These findings point to intermediate monocytes and TARC as potential treatment targets…

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection, or RCI) can improve sarcoidosis symptoms, a real-world study shows. Titled “Repository corticotropin injection in patients with advanced symptomatic sarcoidosis: retrospective analysis of medical records,” the study was published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease. Acthar Gel, marketed…

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is launching a fundraising initiative to help improve treatment for advanced lung diseases, including sarcoidosis. The fundraising effort — called the Lung Health Research Accelerator Fund — aims to generate a total $20 million for the creation of a new research…

Rare disease-themed videos glowed on a large screen before an audience of people in wheelchairs, with crutches, and bearing oxygen tanks this Nov. 9 and 10 in San Francisco. Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival strives to eventually host a film about every one of the nearly 7,000 rare…

The soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) is more sensitive and specific than the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), one of the most common diagnostic biomarkers of sarcoidosis, at identifying people who might have the disease, a study found. The findings were reported in the study, “Sensitivity and specificity of…

Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy — a relatively new method of collecting lung tissue for analysis — safely and successfully helps to provide a definitive sarcoidosis diagnosis when the usual and less-invasive diagnostic tools are insufficient, a Portuguese study suggests. The study, “Diagnostic yield and safety of transbronchial…

Tears in blood vessels of the heart can occur in people with cardiac sarcoidosis, a case report found, although the incidence of this complication appears to be low. The report, “Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in cardiac sarcoidosis,” was published in Oxford Medical Case Reports. Spontaneous coronary…

Depression and anxiety may worsen the quality of life and lung function of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, a study has found. The findings of the study, “Psychological burden associated with worse clinical outcomes in sarcoidosis,” were published in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research. Statistics…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the designation of breakthrough therapy to Ofev (nintedanib) for the treatment of patients with sarcoidosis and other types of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The breakthrough designation is given to medications that provide significant advantages over…