Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Recent changes to a Phase 2 clinical trial of the oral medicine pitolisant to treat excessive daytime sleepiness will make it easier for people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) to participate in the study, according to an announcement from the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research. “In addition to evaluating…

Dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid led to weight loss in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), according to a recently published study. Results were detailed in the journal Nutrients, in the article “Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduces Body Weight and Fat in Snord116m+/p−…

Folate produced by a specific kind of gut bacteria likely contributed to weight loss in a teenager with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) who was given a high-fiber diet for several months. A trio of researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China described the case in a study, “…

Levels of several hunger-regulating hormones are dysregulated in people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), which likely contributes to the excessive hunger that characterizes the condition, a study suggests. Clustering patients based on these hormone levels could help to detect PWS and identify targets for therapies, researchers say. The study, “…

A low-cost screening test called methylation-specific quantitative melt analysis (MS-QMA) could feasibly be used to conduct newborn screening for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and related conditions, according to a new study. The study, “Feasibility of Screening for Chromosome 15 Imprinting Disorders in 16579 Newborns by Using a…

In people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), certain parts of the brain associated with decision-making and reward processing are less active in response to the sight of food, a study has found. The findings suggest that people with PWS get less of a “reward” feeling from eating than their typically…

Saniona is launching a Phase 2b clinical trial of Tesomet to evaluate its potential in lessening the uncontrollable hunger of people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). “The initiation of this Phase 2b clinical trial of Tesomet in Prader-Willi syndrome follows our recent initiation of a Phase 2b clinical…

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) may help to reduce skin-picking behavior in some people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), but many patients do not benefit from NAC treatment, a new study found. “NAC should continue to be considered as a treatment option for skin picking in PWS as over a third of severely…

A class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) may help reduce appetite and promote weight loss for people with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), according to a review paper. The paper’s authors called for clinical trials to test these medicines in people with PWS. Their paper, “The…

Excessive eating in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) increases the risk of mortality not only by making patients prone to obesity and its associated health problems, but also by raising the risk of accidents like choking, a new study indicates. “There are the longer-term problems that arise through obesity and the…