DMD Patients Invited to Participate in a Survey About Symptoms and Daily Life

Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York seek patients diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are interested in helping to develop disease-specific patient-reported outcome measures for future clinical trials. This study will help to determine the most critical symptoms of children, young adults, and adult patients with DMD, and as a result, . . .

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FDA Approves PTC Therapeutics’ Emflaza for the Treatment of DMD in Patients Between 2 and 5 Years Old

On June 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Emflaza (deflazacort) to expand its labeling to include patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are between 2 and 5 years old. Emflaza was approved by the FDA in February 2017 for the treatment of DMD in patients 5 years and older, making it the first drug approved . . .

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Congress is Considering a Law to Strengthen Newborn Screening: Help MDA Promote its Passage

On May 2, Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Mike Simpson (ID-02), Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Jaime Herrera-Beutler (WA-03) introduced the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019, a key piece of legislation that fights to eliminate preventable newborn deaths and stave off the onset of symptoms associated with severe disabilities, including neuromuscular conditions. Read MDA’s . . .

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Introducing New MDA National Ambassador Tana Zwart, and Checking in With Ambassadors Faith Fortenberry and Justin Moy

Since the early 1950s, not long after the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s formation, America’s young people living with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular diseases have stepped forward to share their stories, raise awareness of the need for treatments and cures for rare diseases, and represent MDA’s mission with humanity and grace. More than 40 MDA National . . .

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A Tale of Two Siblings: Twin MDA Volunteers Forge Lifelong Connections — and Careers

Twin brother and sister Michael and Amy Schleicher’s story starts where a lot of kids’ stories do. They looked up to their big brother, Matt, and when he did something cool, Michael and Amy wanted to do it, too. In the case of the fateful summer that would point the twins in a long-term direction, . . .

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Buy a Shamrock, Grow Hope

It’s March, and at MDA that means only one thing: It’s Shamrocks season! Each St. Patrick’s Day season for the last 37 years, MDA has partnered with 20,000 retailers nationwide to raise a little green (more than $323 million, to be exact) both to send kids to MDA Summer Camp and to fund groundbreaking research . . .

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Trexo Robotics Releases Trexo Home Walking Aid for Children

Joining a growing number of companies developing robotic devices for those living with mobility impairments, Ontario’s Trexo Robotics just launched the newest in its line of robotic walking aids specifically for children, the Trexo Home. Unlike the company’s Trexo Plus, a set of wearable robotic legs that attach to a walker for use in clinical . . .

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“Strength is More than Muscle”: A Mother Reflects on a Year of Grief and Growth After Son’s DMD Diagnosis

One year ago, if you would have asked me to say the words Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I couldn’t. It was too new, too fresh, too difficult of a reality to process. One year ago I fell to my knees crying and physically shaking with fear, anxiety and anger as I hung up the phone with . . .

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