News

Spinraza Meets Primary Endpoint for Later-onset SMA in Phase 3 Trial

Spinraza (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) met the primary endpoint in an interim analysis from a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the treatment in children with later-onset (consistent with Type 2) SMA. Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals reported that children treated with Spinraza had a highly statistically significant improvement in motor…

EMA, SMA Europe,TREAT-NMD to Lead One-Day Workshop on New SMA Therapies

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), SMA Europe, and TREAT-NMD network will lead a one-day workshop to discuss, support, and advance development of new therapies to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disease. The “Spinal Muscular Atrophy Workshop” will be held 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. at…

Regulatory Applications for SMA Therapy Nusinersen Accepted in US and EU

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Biogen‘s new drug application for nusinersen, an investigational drug for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), for priority review. The company also announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) validated nusinersen’s marketing authorization application (MAA). If nusinersen is approved, it will become…

SMA Collaborative Program Initiates Phase 2 Studies of Potential Therapy

A spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) collaboration has two Phase 2 clinical trials aligned to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of the investigational drug RG7916 in pediatric and adult patients of Type 2 and Type 3 SMA and in pediatric patients of Type 1 SMA. The SMA development program…

Company Makes SMA, CF Gene Screening More Accessible for Would-be Parents

A new saliva-based screening test for the two most commonly inherited genetic disorders, cystic fibrosis (CF) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), is now available through Good Start Genetics, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The test, called VeriYou, costs less than $150. Because one in every 19 people are gene carriers for CF or…