Alexion Seeks Approval of Soliris as a Treatment for MG
Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced it has submitted a marketing application to the FDA for the investigational drug eculizumab (brand name Soliris).
Author: Amy Madsen
CMS Study Seeks Participants
Researchers are looking for people with congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) to participate in a phase 3 study being conducted by Catalyst Pharmaceuticals to test the experimental drug amifampridine phosphate.
Amifampridine phosphate is a potassium channel inhibitor designed to cause greater stimulation of muscle by prolonging nerve signals and is expected to help treat muscle weakness in people with CMS. The drug has shown promising results in treating patients with a related disorder called LEMS.
Encouraging Clinical Study Data Reported for ALS Drug Edaravone
Osaka-based Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma has reported encouraging 12-month efficacy and safety data for edaravone (brand name Radicava) for the treatment of ALS. Edaravone is delivered by intravenous injection. It’s thought to work by relieving the effects of oxidative stress, which, in people with ALS, has been suspected to play a role in the death of . . .
ACTIMMUNE Phase 3 Trial in Friedreich’s Ataxia Disappoints
Results from the STEADFAST phase 3 clinical trial in Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) failed to show that the drug ACTIMMUNE® (interferon gamma-1b) was effective against any of the study’s disease measurements, according to Horizon Pharma. The study hoped to slow disease progression as measured by a functional rating scale assessing capacities such as speech, ability to . . .
Matthew Disney Receives MDA Grant to Research Myotonic Dystrophy & ALS
Five Questions with Researcher Matthew Disney Matthew Disney, a professor at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla., was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $300,000 over a period of three years to optimize two novel drug-like compounds — one that targets toxic RNA in myotonic dystrophy and another that targets toxic RNA in ALS . . .
SIDEROS DMD Clinical Trial Seeks Participants
Researchers at the University of Kansas and Arkansas Children’s Hospital are looking for boys and men age 10 years and older with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to participate in a phase 3 clinical trial. The study, called SIDEROS, is designed to help researchers determine the safety and efficacy of idebenone (brand name Raxone), an experimental . . .
Participants Sought for Clinical Trial to Test Vamorolone in DMD
Researchers are seeking volunteers to participate in a clinical trial sponsored by ReveraGen BioPharma to test the safety and effectiveness of the investigational drug vamorolone in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In the two-part, open-label study called “A Phase 2a and 2a Extension study to Assess Vamorolone in Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy,” all . . .
Encouraging Results in Nusinersen (Spinraza) Trial for Type 2 SMA
In a joint statement today, Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced encouraging interim results from the late-stage CHERISH clinical trial to test the experimental drug nusinersen (brand name Spinraza) in children with type 2 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Based on the results, investigators have stopped the trial to allow all participants to transition into an open-label . . .
Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals: A Message to the SMA Community
In a joint statement today, Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced encouraging results from the late-stage CHERISH clinical trial to test the experimental drug nusinersen (brand name Spinraza) in children with type 2 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Based on the results, investigators have stopped the trial to allow all participants to transition into an open-label trial . . .
FDA Will Review Nusinersen for Treatment of SMA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Biogen’s New Drug Application for nusinersen (brand name Spinraza) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and granted Priority Review. Priority Review status is reserved for drugs that offer significant improvements over existing options or provide a treatment for a disorder for which no approved . . .
