Forest Ray PhD,  —

Forest Ray received his PhD in systems biology from Columbia University, where he developed tools to match drug side effects to other diseases. He has since worked as a journalist and science writer, covering topics from rare diseases to the intersection between environmental science and social justice. He currently lives in Long Beach, California.

Articles by Forest Ray

Evrysdi Approved in Brazil for SMA, But No Indications Specified

Evrysdi (risdiplam) has been approved for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in Brazil by the country’s National Health Surveillance Agency, known as ANVISA. The Brazilian approval came within seven months of Roche’s original submission, with the country becoming the second to approve the medicine,…

FDA Approves Catalent Facility to Aid in Zolgensma’s Production

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Catalent Biologics approval to aid in manufacturing products for use with AveXis’ spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) gene therapy, Zolgensma, at its Maryland facility. The FDA inspected the company’s commercial-scale gene therapy manufacturing center in June. Catalent and AveXis,…

Coalition Will Address Racial Disparities in Rare Disease Communities

The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) recently created a Rare Disease Diversity Coalition focused on reducing racial disparities in the rare disease community. Getting a timely and accurate diagnosis for a disease that few people — sometimes even physicians — have heard of is challenging on its own merit. But…