HRA Pharma Funds ‘Cushing’s Hub’ to Provide Clinicians with Latest Info

HRA Pharma Rare Diseases is providing an unrestricted educational grant to fund “Cushing’s Hub,” a first-of-its-kind online platform designed to help healthcare providers care for patients with Cushing’s syndrome.

The Hub, developed by Springer Healthcare Education, will provide information to promote good clinical practice, and improve diagnosis and patient care. Physicians can register on the internationally-available platform for free.

“Anything you need to know, any question you might have about Cushing’s syndrome… you’ll find the answer on Cushing’s hub, the missing link between you and your clinic,” Frédéric Castinetti, MD, PhD, professor of endocrinology at Aix-Marseille University in France, and chairman of the editorial board for Cushing’s Hub, said in press release emailed to Cushing’s Disease News. 

In addition to Castinetti, the independent editorial board includes two other endocrinology experts: Niki Karavitaki, PhD, a senior clinical lecturer in endocrinology and honorary consultant endocrinologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in the U.K., and Greisa Vila, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria.

The three experts will be responsible for selecting the platform’s content, which will be regularly updated and include a wide variety of resources, ranging from expert editorials and full-text articles to clinical case studies and study infographics.

Cushing’s syndrome is caused by abnormally high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which has a variety of effects throughout the body. Cushing’s disease is a particular type of Cushing’s syndrome where the high levels of the hormone are a direct result of a tumor in the brain’s pituitary gland.

Because Cushing’s syndrome can be caused by multiple different biological processes and the effects of cortisol are often varied and complex, the condition generally requires a high level of expertise on the part of a healthcare provider for it to be managed optimally. Thus, the aim of Cushing’s Hub is to make it easier for healthcare providers to access this expertise so they can more effectively care for their patients.

“Cushing’s Syndrome is a chronic condition that can be fatal if left untreated,” said Evelina Paberžė, chief operating officer of HRA Pharma Rare Diseases. “As a company which is dedicated to improving the lives of those with rare diseases, we felt it was crucial to support the development of a platform that can help healthcare professionals in the diagnosis, management and follow up of Cushing’s Syndrome.”

“We are confident the platform will help improve the lives of many,” Paberžė said.

HRA Pharma Rare Diseases is the manufacturer of Metopirone (metyrapone) and Ketoconazole HRA (ketoconazole), two treatments currently approved in Europe to manage Cushing’s syndrome.