Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

Lindsey earned her PhD in neuroscience from Emory University in Atlanta, where she studied novel therapeutic strategies for treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy. She was awarded a fellowship from the American Epilepsy Society in 2019 for this research. Lindsey also previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher, studying the role of inflammation in epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Articles by Lindsey Shapiro

New hope for Prader-Willi hunger as Phase 3 trial expands

A Phase 3 trial testing the ability of Aardvark Therapeutics’ oral treatment candidate ARD-101 to ease hyperphagia, or insatiable hunger, in people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is still seeking adolescent and adult participants in the U.S., with other sites planned globally. Called HERO (NCT06828861), the study is…

Bonding helps ease family stress faced by PWS patients’ relatives

Parents and siblings of people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) commonly experience stress and other mental health challenges, but greater family cohesion, or bonding, helped buffer against these adverse outcomes, according to a study that surveyed people from around the world. In questionnaires completed by parents, parental depression, anxiety, and…

Pitolisant earns FDA orphan drug status ahead of Phase 3 trial

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Harmony Biosciences’ pitolisant to treat daytime sleepiness in people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Orphan drug status is meant to incentivize the development of treatments for rare diseases, or those affecting fewer than 200,000 people in…

PWS children who switch from DCCR see worsening hyperphagia: Trial

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) patients who switched from daily treatment with DCCR (diazoxide choline extended-release tablets) to a placebo experienced worsening excessive hunger, or hyperphagia, and greater body weight gains relative to those who stayed on DCCR. That’s according to top-line data from the new randomized withdrawal period of…

Pitolisant Eases Daytime Sleepiness In Children, Adults With PWS: Top-Line Data

Daily treatment with oral pitolisant reduced excessive daytime sleepiness in children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), according to top-line data from a placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial. While the relatively small proof-of-concept study wasn’t powered to detect statistically significant differences, the observed improvements with pitolisant relative to…