Wave Life Sciences Announces Positive Results of Phase 1 Trial of WVE-210201 for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Today, Wave Life Sciences announced that its Phase 1 trial of WVE-210201, an investigational, exon skipping therapy for boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amenable to exon 51 skipping, showed positive safety and tolerability data. Based on these results, Wave announced that it will initiate a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of WVE-210201 in 2019. Wave . . .

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FDA Accepts AveXis’ BLA for SMA Drug Zolgensma Under Priority Review

Today, Novartis, the parent company of AveXis Inc., announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) under Priority Review for Zolgensma (formerly known as AVXS-101), a gene therapy for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1. Priority Review status requires the FDA to review . . .

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Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Announces FDA Has Accepted Its 505(b)(2) New Drug Application to Review BHV-0223 for Treatment of ALS

On Nov. 26, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its 505(b)(2) New Drug Application (NDA) to review BHV-0223, a sublingual (placed under the tongue) formulation of riluzole for the treatment of patients living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In submitting its NDA using the 505(b)(2) pathway, Biohaven was able . . .

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FDA Approves Catalyst Pharmaceuticals’ Firdapse for Treatment of Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome

On Nov. 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Firdapse (amifampridine phosphate) for the treatment of adults with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). Firdapse, developed by Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, is an oral potassium channel inhibitor designed to prolong signals released from nerves and allow greater stimulation of muscles. This is the eighth . . .

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Clinical Trial Alert: Stealth BioTherapeutics Seeks Participants for a Phase 3 Mitochondrial Myopathy Trial

Stealth BioTherapeutics is looking for participants with primary mitochondrial myopathy (PMM) to participate in the MMPOWER-3 Phase 3 trial. This trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of daily subcutaneous injections of elamipretide, an investigational drug that associates with cardiolipin, a key structural component of the inner mitochondrial membrane, and has shown to . . .

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MDA CEO Lynn O’Connor Vos Quoted on the Importance of Accountability Benchmarks for Charitable Organizations

When considering a donation to a charitable organization, donors might wonder whether that organization is trustworthy and will use monetary gifts in an effective way to fulfill its mission. With so many different charities requesting donations, and with recent high-profile cases of donor mismanagement and fraud, it is more important than ever for donors to . . .

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New Report Explains How Big Data and the Therapeutic Pipeline Will be Life Changing for 250,000 People Living with Neuromuscular Disease

To learn more about this report, please read our press release. Neuromuscular diseases encompass a broad group of disorders that are individually rare but collectively impact an estimated 250,000 patients in the United States, breaking the rare disease threshold of 200,000 individuals. Currently, treatment options for these diseases are limited. But the financial impact is staggering; . . .

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UCB Reports Positive Results in Phase 2 Trial of Rozanolixizumab for Myasthenia Gravis

On Oct. 18, pharmaceutical company UCB announced positive results in its phase 2 trial of rozanolixizumab (also known as UCB7665), a potential treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG).  Rozanolixizumab, a subcutaneous FcRn (neonatal Fc receptor) monoclonal antibody, performed well in the study, achieving proof-of-concept, improvement in multiple disease-related endpoints and a satisfactory safety profile. The randomized, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study enrolled . . .

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AveXis Submits BLA for SMA Gene Therapy AVXS-101 to FDA

This week, AveXis, a Novartis company, reported that it has submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting approval of AVXS-101 to treat infants with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1. AveXis is also submitting regulatory applications for the therapy in Europe and Japan. If approved, AVXS-101 would . . .

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Pharnext Announces Positive Results from Phase 3 Trial Using PXT3003 to Treat CMT1A

Today, French pharmaceutical company Pharnext SA announced positive topline results from its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial (PLEO-CMT) evaluating two doses of PXT3003 compared to placebo during 15 months for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A). PLEO-CMT was a pivotal, 15-month, double-blind Phase 3 study that assessed the efficacy and safety of PXT3003 compared . . .

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