News

SBMA therapy NIDO-361 granted orphan drug status in Europe

NIDO-361, Nido Biosciences’ experimental oral treatment for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) — a disease type marked by progressive weakness in the muscles of the throat and mouth, and those closer to the trunk — has been granted orphan drug designation in the European Union. This designation,…

Altered body fat, metabolic disturbances common in SMA adults

Adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) showed alterations in body composition and metabolic disturbances, including changes in blood sugar and fats, that could leave them vulnerable to cardiometabolic complications, a study shows. People with SMA type 2 and those who weren’t ambulatory, meaning they couldn’t walk, showed the…

Newborns given Evrysdi reaching key milestones after 2 years

Newborns diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who were treated with Evrysdi (risdiplam) before the onset of symptoms are continuing to reach developmental milestones such as sitting, standing, and walking independently, with many achieving them in a time frame expected of typical child development. That’s according to two-year…

CASMA, large-scale screening test, may best detect SMA carriers

A new large-scale genetic screening technique for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) called comprehensive SMA analysis, or CASMA, was more effective at detecting disease-related mutations in carriers than standard approaches, a study reports. CASMA “is a simple and accurate screening method for SMA, which shows greater clinical efficacy in the…

High dose of SMA treatment Spinraza shows benefits: Trial data

An experimental high-dose regimen of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment Spinraza (nusinersen) is showing motor benefits for previously untreated patients of all ages, as well as those who switched over from Spinraza’s approved dose, according to new data from the DEVOTE clinical trial. Among babies who’d never received…