News

Increasing the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — a molecule involved in the communication between nerve cells and muscle — specifically in muscle delayed symptom onset and slowed disease progression in a mouse model of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), a study has found. BDNF’s benefits…

Novartis’ gene therapy Zolgensma is generally safe and effective in promoting motor improvements in children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treated up to age 2, according to a multicenter study. However, “if the children are older and heavier, there is a potential for more liver injury [a known side effect…

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,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the designation of rare pediatric disease to SRK-015, an investigational treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), its developer, Scholar Rock, announced. This designation is given to therapies that are intended to treat serious or life-threatening disorders that…

[Editor’s Note:  This is part of a series of articles into the discovery and development of Evrysdi — SMA’s newly approved disease-modifying therapy and its first oral and at-home one — as well as the scope of SMA issues and treatments. Here, experts advise against comparing treatments head-to-head…

[Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of articles into the discovery and development of Evrysdi — SMA’s newly approved disease-modifying therapy and its first oral and at-home one — as well as the scope of SMA issues and treatments. Here, experts discuss what patients might expect…