New MDA Educational Programs for Clinicians Offer a Detailed View on Selected Topics in Neuromuscular Disease

MDA’s Medical Education department was established in response to the growing need for clinician education in neuromuscular disease (NMD). We are pleased to present four webinars that cover newborn screening (NBS) and early intervention, genetic testing, and best practices in multidisciplinary care. Our Medical Education department, together with key opinion leaders in the NMD field, . . .

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FDA Accepts Roche Genentech’s NDA for Risdiplam for the Treatment of SMA

On Nov. 25, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) seeking approval under Priority Review for risdiplam, an investigational therapy for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Priority Review status requires the FDA to review the application and decide on whether . . .

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Roche Genentech Announces Positive Results from Pivotal Study of Risdiplam in SMA Types 2 and 3

On Nov. 10, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced positive results from the second part of its pivotal phase 2/3 SUNFISH clinical trial assessing risdiplam in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) types 2 or 3. The study met its primary endpoint, which was change from baseline in the Motor Function Measure 32 (MFM-32) . . .

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New MDA Educational Program Offers a Detailed View of SMA Treatment Landscape

MDA’s new Medical Education department was established in response to the growing need for clinician education in neuromuscular diseases. We are pleased to present our first CME-accredited webinar highlighting the treatment landscape for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a neuromuscular disorder that often presents as hypotonia and weakness shortly after birth. SMA is characterized . . .

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AveXis Releases Letter to SMA Community: FDA Places Partial Hold on Clinical Trials for Intrathecally Delivered AVXS-101

On Oct. 30, AveXis released a letter to the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) community regarding a decision by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to place a partial hold on clinical trials for intrathecal (IT) administration of AVXS-101. The full letter follows. The order stops enrollment of patients in the high-dose group of AveXis’ . . .

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World Muscle Society Roundup: Clinical Trial Results of Treatments in Development for DMD, XLMTM, SMA, and Pompe Disease

Several biotech and pharma companies presented interim results at the 24th Annual Congress of the World Muscle Society (WMS) held earlier this month in Copenhagen, Denmark. This roundup covers a few of these updates. Catabasis Pharmaceuticals presented positive results from its phase 1/2 MoveDMD trial and open-label extension with edasalonexent in boys with Duchenne muscular . . .

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Five Questions with SMA Researcher Stephen Meriney

Stephen Meriney, PhD, professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $302,587 over three years to develop a combinatorial drug approach to discover possible therapeutics for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). His work is focused on testing a novel calcium channel agonist (an agonist produces the same . . .

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Biogen Announces Positive Long-Term Results from Phase 2 Study of Spinraza to Treat SMA in Pre-Symptomatic Infants

Biogen announced positive long-term results from its ongoing phase 2 (NURTURE) clinical trial evaluating Spinraza (nusinersen) for treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) at the Cure SMA Annual Conference held June 28 through July 1 this year. New data from the NURTURE study demonstrated that after almost four years, infants who were treated with Spinraza before developing symptoms of SMA . . .

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