Continued treatment with apitegromab, designed to strengthen muscles, led to stabilization or improvement in measures of fatigue and life quality for children and young adults with types 2 and 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), according to new data from the TOPAZ clinical trial. According to apitegromab’s developer…
Children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) switching from Spinraza (nusinersen) to Evrysdi (risdiplam) are generally optimistic about the switch as are their caregivers, according to a new study. The report, “How children and caregivers viewed the change from nusinersen to risdiplam for treating spinal…
Treatment with Evrysdi (risdiplam) increased levels of SMN protein and stabilized motor function in a Phase 2 clinical trial that enrolled spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients who had previously been on other therapies, two-year data show. “These important data demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Evrysdi in a…
Content warning: The following contains mentions of medical trauma and death. I knew something was wrong. But I didn’t always. When my friend and fellow columnist Sherry Toh messaged me one evening to say she was sick, I assumed it was a cold. She would disappear for a few days…
Doctors need to be well-educated about options in the evolving treatment landscape to help patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) make informed decisions, say neurologists in a panel discussion. The panel of four neurologists with experience in treating SMA patients was convened by Biogen, which markets…
The passage of time is a strange thing. A quarter of a century seems like such a long time to have been alive, yet at the same time, it’s like the blink of an eye. Somehow, as of Sept. 26 (the day I’m writing this), that’s exactly how long I’ve…
Note: This story was updated Sept. 19, 2022, to correct that 78.9% of the survey respondents would choose an ASO or a small molecule therapy, such as Evrysdi (risdiplam), if they were approved therapies. Many members of the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) community are interested in the…
Of all the works of art in the world, the one masterpiece with an undue influence on my writing is the Broadway production of “Hamilton.” Maybe it’s a cliche for a writer and musical nerd in her 20s to say this, but when I listened to the “Hamilton”…
New York Fashion Week is known for its statement dresses and elegant models. But this year, one runway show will be slightly different, featuring people in wheelchairs wearing clothes designed for both fashion and accessibility. Models with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) will drive down the runway on Sept. 8…
Doctors expected Stephen Mikita to live for six months after his diagnosis, in the late 1950s, with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2. Now 66, Mikita can look back on a successful career in law, first as a law clerk to the late U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican…