On March 9, Acceleron Pharma, Inc., announced that a phase 2 clinical trial of its therapy under development, ACE-083, for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) did not show statistically significant improvements in functional tests compared to placebo. As a result, Acceleron is discontinuing development of ACE-083 and its clinical trials program for CMT. Delivered by . . .
On March 9, NS Pharma Inc. (a wholly owned US subsidiary of Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd.) announced that it has launched an Expanded Access Program in the United States for viltolarsen, its investigational therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients amenable to skipping exon 53. The program is open to all DMD patients . . .
Myopathy is a disease condition where muscle fibers do not function properly, resulting in muscular weakness. Inclusion-body myositis (IBM) is a type of inflammatory myopathy that is characterized by inflammation, weakness, and atrophy of the skeletal muscle. IBM develops in adulthood, usually after age 50. The symptoms and rate of progression vary from person to . . .
On Feb. 7, NS Pharma Inc. (a wholly owned US subsidiary of Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd.), announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) seeking approval under Priority Review for viltolarsen, an investigational therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients amenable to skipping exon 53. Priority . . .
Last year, Sharon Hesterlee, PhD, took the helm as executive vice president, chief research officer, at MDA. With her unique, decades-spanning career — which began, in fact, at MDA — in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nonprofit sectors, her appointment is certain to advance not only MDA’s mission but also the research and development of genetic . . .
On Jan. 22, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced positive results from the second part of its pivotal phase 2/3 FIREFISH clinical trial assessing risdiplam in infants age 1 to 7 months with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1. The company announced that the study met its primary endpoint, which was a proportion of infants . . .
Australian company Antisense Therapeutics announced encouraging results from its phase 2, open-label clinical trial of the company’s investigational therapy ATL1102 for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The study met its primary endpoint, which was to assess the safety and tolerability of ATL1102 in patients with DMD who are non-ambulatory (unable to walk independently). After six . . .
AavantiBio, a biotechnology company developing a gene-targeting therapy for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), was awarded MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP) funding totaling $1,076,232 to advance AavantiBio’s phase 2 clinical trial of a gene-replacement therapy for the disease. MVP is MDA’s drug development program, which is exclusively focused on funding the discovery and clinical application of treatments and . . .
On Dec. 13, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved expanded labeling for ITF Pharma’s Tiglutik to include administration via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The expanded approval for use with PEG feeding tubes will enable patients who not only have difficulty swallowing but also require . . .
On Dec. 17, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals and the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital announced positive results from the phase 2 (CENTAUR) trial assessing treatment with the company’s investigational therapy, AMX0035, in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study met its primary endpoint, showing a statistically significant slowing of . . .
