Shire To Highlight New Research On Chronic Hypoparathyroidism

(RTTNews) - Shire plc (SHP.L, SHPG) announced new research to be presented on rhPTH(1-84) and on the treatment and management of chronic hypoparathyroidism at the upcoming 19th Annual Meeting of the European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE), 20-23 May, Lisbon, Portugal.

The data being shared provides valuable new insights into chronic hypoparathyroidism, including the long term treatment effect of rhPTH(1-84), extensive global registry data on a number of disease related variables, and patient-reported outcome (PRO) data on symptoms related to the disease from the Hypoparathyroidism Symptom Diary (HPT-SD).

These data demonstrate Shire's long term commitment to improving our understanding of this rare condition in order to further improve the lives of people living with chronic hypoparathyroidism.

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disease that occurs when inadequate levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) are secreted by the parathyroid glands, resulting in a mineral imbalance in the body expressed by a low concentration of calcium (hypocalcemia) and a high concentration of phosphate (hyperphosphatemia) in the blood. Not adequately controlled hypoparathyroidism has a significant impact on patient well-being through physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms.

Chronic hypoparathyroidism is diagnosed in patients with a low concentration of calcium in the blood and inappropriately low PTH levels; for postsurgical chronic hypoparathyroidism, the features of hypoparathyroidism must persist for at least 6 months after surgery.