Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Starting treatment with growth hormone early in life — before age 2 — was associated with better cognitive and behavioral outcomes for children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in a recent study out of Spain. “We found greater cognitive and adaptive performance in patients who had received early treatment,” its…

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…